Cibrarp  of  Che  theological  Seminar;? 

PRINCETON  • NEW  JERSEY 
PRESENTED  BY 

Del  avail  L.  Pierson 

DS&59 

S 92 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2016 


https://archive.org/details/philippinesfarea00stun_0 


CAPTAIN  CANO. 

THE  MAN  WHO  TOOK  T1IF.  ONF.  REMAINING  SHIP  OF  MAGF.I.I.AN’S 
FLEET  HACK  TO  SPAIN  IN  1523. 

THE  MAN  WHO  DII)  WHAT  COI.UMHUS  FAILED  TO  DO. 

(Staluc  stands  in  the  Official  Palace  in  Manila.' 


> SEP  SR  1951 


I'HE  PH  I LI  PPI  N ES 


AND  THE 

FAR  EAST 


s 

HOMER  C.  STUNTZ 


CINCINNATI:  JENNINGS  AND  PYE 
NEW  YORK:  EATON  AND  MAINS 


COPYRIGHT,  1904,  BY 
JENNINGS  AND  PYE 


PREFACE. 


It  has  been  laid  upon  me  to  write  this  book.  After 
eight  years’  experience  among  similar  social  conditions 
in  British  India,  and  more  than  two  years’  residence  in 
the  Philippines,  it  came  to  me  as  a duty  to  set  down  in 
order  the  things  which  American  voters  and  American 
Christians  ought  to  know  for  their  guidance  in  helping 
shape  the  policies  of  our  nation,  and  furnishing  the  sup- 
port for  our  Missionary  Societies  in  the  work  God  has  ap- 
pointed each  to  do  among  these  people. 

Such  readers  as  but  dimly  comprehend  the  essential 
divineness  of  “the  powers  that  be”  will  be  puzzled  to 
know  why  so  much  space  has  been  given  to  matters  which 
they  would  denominate  purely  political.  This  will  cause 
no  confusion,  however,  to  those  who  believe  that  God 
works  through  nations  as  well  as  through  His  Church 
for  the  establishment  of  the  kingdom  of  righteousness. 
Because  I firmly  believe  that  our  army  and  navy,  our 
governor,  the  Commission,  the  judges,  the  constabulary, 
and  the  schoolteachers,  and  all  who  toil  with  them  have 
a divinely-allotted  part  in  Christ’s  program  for  the  Fili- 
pino people,  I have  tried  to  set  forth  some  of  the  work 
which  they  are  trying  to  do.  Here  are  nearly  eight  mil- 
lion people  emerging  from  the  twilight  of  a belated  civil- 
ization into  the  high  noon  of  modern  life.  If  the  purposes 
of  God  for  them  in  the  Philippines,  and  through  them 
among  the  seven  hundred  million  Asiatics,  by  whom  they 


5 


6 


The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 


are  surrounded,  are  accomplished,  there  must  not  only  be 
evangelization,  but  legislation.  Iniquitous  laws  must  be 
repealed.  Righteous  statutes  must  be  enacted.  The  ris- 
ing generation  must  be  taught.  Equitable  taxation,  hon- 
estly collected  and  wisely  administered,  is  as  certainly  a 
part  of  the  program  of  Jesus  Christ  for  the  Filipino 
people  as  the  translation  and  distribution  of  the  Scrip- 
tures, or  the  establishment  of  the  Christian  Church. 

Through  the  courtesy  of  Governor  Taft  I have  had 
access  to  all  official  sources  of  information,  so  that  if 
inaccuracies  have  crept  in,  it  has  been  in  spite  of  the  best 
opportunities  to  secure  accurate  information. 

It  would  have  been  easy  to  incorporate  serious  crit- 
icisms of  some  policies  adopted  by  the  Philippine  Gov- 
ernment. Looked  at  broadly,  however,  the  tendency  of 
this  Government  is  in  the  right  direction,  and  I have  not 
felt  that  detailed  criticism  of  what  may  be  but  temporary 
policies  deserves  place  in  a permanent  record. 

The  book  has  been  written  in  the  midst  of  very  heavy 
duties  as  pastor  and  presiding  elder  of  this  rapidly-grow- 
ing work.  The  time  necessary  for  patient  revision  could 
not  be  secured.  Literary  finish  was  out  of  the  question. 
The  controlling  motive  has  been  to  arrange  and  present 
as  much  information  about  the  Philippines  as  was  pos- 
sible within  the  limits  imposed.  I pray  that  the  book  may 
be  accepted  of  Him  in  whose  name  it  has  been  written. 

Homer  C.  Stuntz. 

Manila,  Philippine  Islands,  January,  1904. 


CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

I.  The  Philippine  Archipelago,  - 15 

II.  Who  are  the  Filipinos?  - - 31 

III.  Social  Order  and  General  Char- 

acteristics, 42 

IV.  Historical  Summary,  - 60 

V.  The  Friars,  - - - - - 79 

VI.  Why  the  Friars  are  Hated,  - 91 

VII.  Why  the  Friars  are  Hated — Con- 
tinued, ------  104 

VIII.  The  Insurrection  of  1896,  - 119 

IX.  The  American  Occupation,  - - 135 

X.  Framing  a Policy,  - - - 155 

XI.  Some  Constructive  Legislation,  - 169 

XII.  Educating  a Nation,  - - - 185 

XIII.  Further  Improvements,  - - 216 

XIV.  Resources,  -----  244 

XV.  The  Chinese  in  the  Philippines,  265 

XVI.  The  Friar  Lands,  - - - - 284 

XVII.  The  Friar  Lands — Continued,  - 302 

XVIII.  Philippine  Finance,  - - - 322 

XIX.  The  Government  and  Religious 

Conditions,  - 341 


7 


8 


Contents. 


CHAPTER  PAGE 

XX.  Why  is  Protestantism  in  the  Phil- 
ippines?   358 

XXI.  The  Religious  Situation — A Gen- 
eral View,  - 378 

XXII.  The  Bible  Societies,  - - - 394 

XXIII.  Missionary  Beginnings,  - - 409 

XXIV.  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  Be- 
ginnings,   420 

XXV.  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  Be- 
ginnings— Continued,  - - 434 

XXVI.  Presbyterians  and  Baptists,  - 456 

XXVII.  Episcopal  and  Other  Churches,  464 

XXVIII.  Some  Difficulties  Confronting 

Mission  Work,  - - - 476 

XIX.  The  Aglipay  Movement,  - - 488* 

XXX.  The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East,  497 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 

PAGE 

Statue  of  Captain  Cano,  - - - Frontispiece. 

Map  of  the  Philippine  Islands, 

Plan  of  the  City  of  Manila, 12 

Banyan-tree,  Manila, 14 

Typical  River  Scene  in  Luzon, 18 

Mayon  Volcano,  from  Legaspi, 21 

Country  Road  in  Luzon,  near  Balinag,  ...  23 

A Tree  fern, 25 

Boac,  Capital  of  Marinduoue  Province,  - 28 

On  the  Dinalupihan  River,  Bataan  Province,  - - 30 

On  Manila  Bay, • 41 

Tree-house  of  the  Gaddanes,  near  Ilagan,  - - 43 

Igorrotes, .49 

Manila  Botanical  Gardens, 59 

A Filipino  Belle,  - - - - - - - 61 

Monument  to  Legaspi  and  Urdaneta,  Manila,  - - 63 

Cathedral,  Manila, 69 

Fortified  Gate  and  City  Wall,  Manila,  75 

San  Sebastian  (Steel)  Church,  Manila,  ...  83 

Ruin  of  Catholic  Building,  90 

Two  Friars  in  Augustinian  Church  Garden,  Manila,  95 
Catholic  Church  at  Orani,  Bataan,  - 103 

Eleven  Graves  in  Wall, 108 

Place  of  Execution  in  Manila, 1 14 

Binondo  Church,  Manila, 117 

Old  Spanish  Guns  on  Wall,  Manila,  - - - - 123 


9 


10 


Illustrations. 


PAGE 

An  Insurrecto  Colonel,  - - - - - - - 129 

Moro  Houses.  Jolo, 134 

Temporary  Hospital  and  Barracks,  Santa  Mesa,  Ma- 
nila,   139 

McKinley  Memorial  Parade,  Luneta,  Manila,  Sep- 
tember 19,  1901,  - - 147 

Provincial  Government  Building,  Tarlac,  - - 154 

Old  Wall  and  Moat, 163 

Bamboo  Raft,  Abra  River, 167 

Two-mile  Limit  Post,  near  Manila,  - - - - 178 

Ship  that  Brought  the  Teachers,  August,  1901,  - 187 

Typical  Schoolroom, 191 

School  Group,  Pagsanjau,  Luzon, 195 

Girls’  Public  School, 199 

Manila  Trade  School, 203 

Manila  Trade  School — Plumbing,  ....  207 

New  Slaughter-house,  Manila,  - - - - 211 

Compulsory  Education, 215 

New  Santa  Cruz  Bridge,  July  4,  1903,  - - - - 221 

Our  Only  Railway,  -------  227 

Embarrassment  at  a Ferry,  - - - 231 

A Philippine  I'oot-bridge, 235 

Among  the  Pines  in  Benguet,  ...  241 

A Carabao  Vehicle, 243 

All  Aboard!  in  a Sugar-field, 247 

Gutta-percha  Tree,  Java, 251 

A Native  Sawmill, 255 

Plowing  for  Rice  with  Carabao,  - - - 259 

A Benguet  Rice-field, 263 

Manila  Vessel  on  the  Bay,  ...  264 

Chinaman  Grinding  Herbs, 269 

Market  Scene  in  Manila, 283 

Evening, 291 


Illustrations. 


i i 

PAGE 

Guadalupe  Ruins,  near  Manila,  - - - - 321 

Early  Morning  in  a Manila  Street,  ....  331 

The  Dray  of  the  Philippines, 336 

Girls'  School,  Villa  Nueva, 340 

The  Filipino’s  Point  of  View, 348 

Mountain  Pines  near  Baguio, 357 

Methodist  Chapel.  Melabon, 361 

Church  Interior,  with  Worshipers,  - 367 

First  Training-school  for  Filipino  Women,  - - 373 

An  Anting-anting  Shirt,  381 

Religious  Procession  in  Manila,  - 386 

Interior  of  Catholic  Church,  Manila,  - - - 393 

The  Benguet  Road, 408 

Ordinary  Coasting-boat, 412 

Ox-carts  in  the  Bay,  Awaiting  Passengers,  - - 413 

A City  Gate, 419 

Rev.  Nicholas  Zamora, 422 

Paulino  Zamora, 423 

Bishop  H.  W.  Warren  and  Methodist  Mission  Staff,  425 
Methodist  Chapel,  Atlag,  Malolos,  - - - 430 

Rev.  Felipe  Marquez  and  Sons,  ...  . 43! 

A Nipa  House, 433 

Methodist  Mission  Press.  Manila,  - - - - 437 

Mission  Homes,  Manila,  ------  443 

A Protestant  Group  in  Bataan,  - - - 448 

Tree-fern  Branches, 455 

Manila  Botanical  Gardens  (Second  View),  - - - 463 

A Mountain  Waterfall, 469 

Bishop  James  M.  Thoburn, 487 

Carved  Church  Door,  Manila,  - - 496 

A Group  of  Nations,  -------  505 

A Summer  Scene — “The  End,”  -----  509 


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12 


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CHAPTER  I. 


Thu:  Philippine  Archipelago. 

The  Philippine  Archipelago  lies  between  40  41'  and 
210  N.  latitude,  almost  exactly  south  of  the  heart  of  China, 
and  north  of  a line  running  through  the  center  of  Aus- 
tralia. Its  latitude  is  the  same  as  Southern  India.  Somali- 
land, Venezuela,  and  Costa  Rica,  and  it  lies  120  and  more 
south  of  Cuba. 

The  Archipelago  comprises  over  one  thousand  islands, 
only  eleven  of  which  possess  real  geographical  impor- 
tance. The  largest  of  these  eleven  is  Luzon  at  the  extreme 
north;  next  is  Mindanao  in  the  south;  then  Panav,  Ne- 
gros, Mindoro,  Samar,  Leyte,  Cebu,  Masbate,  Bojol,  and 
Paragua  make  up  the  list  of  larger  islands.  Of  these, 
both  Mindoro  and  Paragua  are  thinly  populated,  and  have 
comparatively  little  available  land  for  agricultural  pur- 
poses, though  heavy  forests  abound  on  both  islands. 

The  area  of  the  entire  group  is  one  hundred  and  twelve 
thousand  square  miles.  This  gives  the  Philippines  a land 
surface  about  equal  to  all  New  England,  plus  New  York; 
or  Illinois,  Indiana,  and  two-thirds  of  Ohio.  Compared 
with  European  States,  the  Philippines  contain  as  many 
square  miles  of  land  surface  as  Denmark,  Belgium,  the 
Netherlands,  Switzerland,  and  Greece;  or  a little  less  than 
Great  Britain  and  Ireland,  and  a little  more  than  Italy. 
The  Islands  lack  but  twenty-eight  thousand  square  miles 
of  being  as  large  as  Japan.  On  the  score  of  size  they  may 
well  be  expected  to  assume  a separate  station  among  the 

•5 


i6 


The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 


governments  of  the  world,  and  can  easily  bear  a popula- 
tion of  twenty  millions,  or  enough  to  be  equal  to  national 
demands. 

The  Archipelago  is  distinctly  volcanic  in  its  char- 
acter, and  evidences  of  volcanic  activity  are  by  no  means 
all  a matter  of  historical  record.  There  are  many  active 
volcanoes  in  different  parts  of  the  group.  The  most  beau- 
tiful is  Mavon,  in  Southern  Luzon.  It  is  a perfect  cone, 
rising  to  a height  of  8,900  feet,  and  is  in  a state  of  con- 
stant activity.  Its  last  severe  eruption  took  place  in 
1888.  At  that  time  red-hot  stones  fell  several  miles  away, 
lava  streams  destroyed  the  villages  about  its  base,  and 
ashes  lay  so  thick  on  roofs  ten  miles  away  as  to  break 
them  in  by  their  weight.  The  fierce  glare  lit  up  the 
country  for  fifty  miles.  Mount  Apo,  in  Mindanao,  is  the 
loftiest  of  these  active  volcanoes,  reaching  an  elevation  of 
10,312  feet. 

The  Taal  volcano,  less  than  two  days’  travel  south 
from  Manila  in  Luzon,  has  been  the  most  destructive  in 
recent  years.  The  first  eruption  of  sufficient  importance 
to  be  recorded  by  the  historians  of  those  times  was  in 
1641.  Again  in  1706,  1709,  1716,  1731,  1749,  and  1754, 
this  volcano  burst  forth  with  more  or  less  violence,  deal- 
ing death  and  destruction  upon  all  sides.  Manila  is  but 
thirty-six  miles  from  this  volcano  as  the  bird  flies,  and 
during  the  eight  days  of  its  eruption  in  August,  1749, 
people  in  the  capital  ate  their  midday  meal  by  the  light  of 
candles,  so  thick  was  the  cloud  of  ashes  that  filled  all  the 
sky;  and  on  all  sides  priests  and  friars  were  besieged 
night  and  day  by  penitents,  alarmed  and  seeking  confes- 
sion. The  smell  of  fire  and  smoke,  added  to  the  stench 
from  the  dead  fish  cast  upon  the  shores  of  the  lake,  in  the 
center  of  which  Taal  volcano  is  located,  caused  a malig- 
nant fever  which  carried  off  half  the  inhabitants  of  the 


The  Philippine  Archipelago. 


*7 


province.  The  city  of  Taal,  the  capital  of  the  province, 
was  utterly  consumed,  and  the  site  is  crusted  over  with 
lava  to  this  day.  This  remarkable  volcano  is  much  vis- 
ited from  Manila.  Looking  into  the  crater,  which  is  about 
4,500  feet  wide,  one  sees  three  distinct  lakes  of  boiling 
liquids,  the  colors  of  which  are  constantly  undergoing 
change, — green,  yellow,  and  chocolate  hues  being  clearly 
discernible.  No  one  can  guess  when  it  will  again  pour 
out  its  floods  of  fire  and  ashes. 

Earthquakes  are  of  rather  frequent  occurrence  in  all 
parts  of  the  group  except  in  the  long,  rocky  island  of 
Paragua.  For  some  unknown  reason  that  thinlv-popu- 
lated  strip  of  rock  and  forest  seems  wholly  free  from 
seismic  disturbance.  Serious  shocks  took  place  in  1610, 
November,  1645;  August,  1658;  in  1675,  1699,  1796,  and 
1852.  In  the  shock  of  1645  but  one  monastery  and 
two  churches  then  standing  in  Manila  were  shaken  down, 
all  the  public  buildings  destroyed,  and  the  governor-gen- 
eral was  with  much  difficulty  extricated  from  the  ruins 
of  his  palace.  In  1863  occurred  an  earthquake  which  did 
terrible  damage,  though  it  lasted  only  half  a minute.  In 
Manila  alone  four  hundred  were  killed  outright,  two  thou- 
sand were  wounded,  many  dying  of  their  injuries,  and  a 
total  property  loss  of  $4,000,000  (gold)  was  experienced. 
Official  returns  give  forty-six  public  buildings  thrown 
down,  and  twenty-eight  more  practically  destroyed ; five 
hundred  and  seventy  private  buildings  were  wrecked,  and 
five  hundred  and  twenty-eight  more  racked  so  severely  as 
to  require  rebuilding.  Ruins  of  this  latest  severe  earth- 
quake can  be  seen  in  several  places  about  Manila  yet.  The 
heavy  tile  roofs  which  had  been  in  almost  universal  use 
until  that  terrible  experience  have  been  displaced  by  cor- 
rugated iron  since  that  time. 

Slight  earthquake  shocks  are  of  very  frequent  occur- 


2 


i8 


The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 


rence ; and  so  accustomed  have  the  people  become  to  them 
that  they  are  scarcely  a matter  for  comment.  The  new- 
comer naturally  feels  slightly  nervous  when  his  pictures 
take  to  clattering  on  the  walls,  books  fall  from  their 
shelves,  and  the  framework  of  the  house  creaks  and 
groans  like  a ship  laboring  in  a heavy  sea.  Nothing  but 


A TYPICAL  RIVER  SCENE  IN  LUZON. 

a repetition  of  the  sudden  devastations  of  1863  will  con- 
vince old-timers  that  a Philippine  earthquake  is  to  be 
taken  seriously. 

The  Archipelago  owes  its  existence  to  the  forces  which 
still  fly  their  banners  from  volcano  tops,  and  shiver  the 
thin  crust  of  rock  and  soil  on  its  surface.  In  the  Tertiary 
period  the  Philippines,  together  with  Borneo,  Java,  Su- 


Tine  Philippine  Archipelago. 


19 


matra,  and  the  Celebes,  were  thrown  up  from  the  ocean 
bed,  or  severed  from  the  mainland  of  Asia ; probably  the 
latter.  Mr.  Wallace,  in  his  “Malay  Archipelago,”  argues 
for  the  unity  of  the  entire  Malayan  group.  His  theory  is, 
that  they  were  separated  from  the  Continent  of  Asia  in 
a comparatively  recent  geological  period,  and  that  for 
purposes  of  commerce  and  government  they  should  be 
treated  as  one  group.  He  says: 

“For  reasons  which  depend  mainly  upon  the  distribu- 
tion of  animal  life,  I consider  the  Malay  Archipelago  to 
include  the  Malay  Peninsula  as  far  as  Tennasserim  and 
the  Nicobar  Islands  on  the  west,  the  Philippine  Islands 
on  the  north,  and  the  Solomon  Islands,  beyond  New 
Guinea,  on  the  east.  All  the  great  islands  included  within 
these  limits  are  connected  together  by  innumerable  smaller 
ones,  so  that  no  one  of  them  seems  to  be  distinctly  sep- 
arated from  the  rest.  With  but  few  exceptions,  all  enjoy 
a uniform  and  very  similar  climate,  and  are  covered  with 
a luxuriant  forest  vegetation.  Whether  we  study  their 
form  and  distribution  on  maps  or  actually  travel  from 
island  to  island,  our  first  impression  will  be  that  they  form 
a connected  whole,  all  the  parts  of  which  are  intimately 
related  to  each  other.  The  Malay  Archipelago  extends 
more  than  four  thousand  miles  in  length  from  east  to 
west,  and  is  about  thirteen  hundred  from  north  to  south. 
It  would  stretch  over  all  Europe  from  its  extreme  western 
limits,  far  into  Central  Asia,  or  would  cover  the  widest 
part  of  South  America,  and  extend  far  beyond  the  land 
into  the  Atlantic  and  Pacific  Oceans.  It  includes  three 
islands  larger  than  Great  Britain,  and  in  one  of  these — 
Borneo — the  whole  of  the  British  Isles  might  be  set  down, 
and  it  would  then  be  surrounded  by  a sea  of  unbroken  for- 
ests. New  Guinea,  though  less  compact  in  shape,  is  prob- 
ably larger  than  Borneo.  Sumatra  is  about  equal  in  size  to 
Great  Britain;  Java,  Luzon,  and  the  Celebes  are  about 
the  size  of  Ireland.” 

The  Philippine  Archipelago  can  not  be  conceived  of 


20 


Tiie  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 


and  treated  as  apart  from  this  Malayan  empire,  insular 
and  peninsular,  of  which  it  is  but  a fraction.  It  is  bound 
up  with  these  other  islands  by  ties  of  soil,  climate,  race, 
language,  and  commerce,  and  whatever  is  done  for  the 
Philippines  will  inevitably  affect  the  destinies  of  millions 
who,  like  the  Filipinos,  are  Malayan  in  blood  and  speech. 

The  climate  of  the  Philippines  is  very  greatly  misun- 
derstood in  America.  It  is  a tropical  climate,  modified 
greatly  by  the  proximity  of  the  sea  and  by  the  presence 
of  ranges  of  mountains  in  all  the  larger  islands.  Though 
so  near  the  equator,  the  temperature  rarely  reaches  ioo° 
(Fahrenheit)  in  the  shade,  and  has  never  been  known  to 
fall  below  60°  in  Manila.  The  mean  monthly  temper- 
atures in  Manila  are  as  follows:  January,  77;  February, 
78;  March,  81  ; April,  83;  May,  84;  June,  82;  July,  81  ; 
August,  81  ; September.  81;  October,  80;  November,  79; 
and  December,  77.  This  gives  a mean  temperature  for 
the  year  of  8o°.  These  temperatures,  however,  do  not 
tell  the  whole  story.  The  excessive  humidity  makes  the 
heat  doubly  trying.  In  the  months  from  April  to  July  it 
is  a moist,  steamy  heat  that  has  an  enervating  influence 
upon  Europeans  and  Americans,  especially  if  they  must 
be  exposed  to  the  sun  in  the  hotter  portions  of  the  day. 
The  nights  are  nearly  always  comfortable,  thus  making 
restful  sleep  a possibility  even  in  the  hottest  months  of 
the  year.  I have  now  spent  two  years  in  the  Islands, 
and  have  only  suffered  two  hot  nights.  In  each  of  these 
cases  my  discomfort  was  as  much  due  to  poorly-ventilated 
rooms  as  to  climatic  conditions. 

So  far  as  mere  physical  comfort  is  concerned,  the  cli- 
mate of  the  sea-level  in  the  Philippine  Islands  surpasses 
that  of  any  State  in  America,  unless  it  be  Southern  Cali- 
fornia. It  is  never  so  hot  as  to  make  the  punkah,  that 
bane  of  life  in  India,  a necessity.  It  is  never  so  cool  as 


The  Philippine  Archipelago. 


21 


to  make  a fire  necessary.  Overcoats  are  never  needed. 
The  same  weight  of  garments  can  be  worn  the  twelve 
months  found  with  no  feeling  of  inconvenience ; and  one 
never  suffers  from  the  gusty,  raw  weather  which  is  so 
trying  in  nearly  all  our  own  States.  During  the  months 
from  November  to  April  the  climate  is  as  near  perfection 
as  can  be  found  in  the  world.  Days  of  glorious  sunshine, 


MAYON  VOLCANO,  FROM  LEGASPI. 


not  too  hot  if  one  can  avoid  the  rays  of  the  sun  from  about 
eleven  to  four  o'clock,  are  followed  by  nights  of  starlight 
and  moonlight  of  such  brilliance  as  can  only  be  found 
near  the  equator.  When  Americans  learn  the  perfection 
of  the  Philippine  climate  from  November  to  March,  mul- 
titudes will  divide  their  time  in  the  East  between  Japan 
and  our  own  possessions. 

Professor  Dean  C.  Worcester  has  this  to  say  of  the 
climate  here : 


22 


The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 


“I  have  never  yet  experienced  at  sea-level  a day  when 
a white  man  could  endure  severe  physical  exertion  without 
suffering  from  the  heat.  If  one  is  permanently  situated 
in  a good  locality  where  he  can  secure  suitable  food  and 
good  drinking  water ; if  he  is  scrupulously  careful  as  to 
his  diet,  avoids  excesses  of  all  kinds,  keeps  out  of  the  sun 
in  the  middle  of  the  day,  and  refrains  from  severe  and 
long-continued  physical  exertion,  he  is  likely  to  remain 
well,  always  supposing  that  he  is  fortunate  enough  to  es- 
cape malarial  infection.  I knew  an  old  Spaniard  who, 
at  the  end  of  a residence  of  thirty-nine  years  in  the  Phil- 
ippines, was  able  to  boast  that  he  had  not  been  ill  a day. 
He  had  always  been  so  situated  that  lie  could  take  care 
of  himself,  and  he  had  done  it.  But  how  is  it  with  the 
explorer,  the  engineer,  the  man  who  would  fell  tim- 
ber, cultivate  new  ground,  or  in  some  other  way  develop 
the  latent  resources  of  the  country?  Any  one  really  ex- 
posed to  the  climate  under  such  circumstances  will  find 
it  severe.  He  can  not  humor  his  digestive  apparatus ; for 
his  bill  of  fare  will  be  limited  to  what  he  can  carry  and 
what  the  country  affords,  and  he  will  be  fortunate  in- 
deed if,  sooner  or  later,  he  does  not  suffer  severely  from 
bowel  trouble.  He  will  be  more  than  fortunate  if  he 
escapes  malaria,  which  is  especially  prevalent  where  forest 
land  is  being  cleared  or  new  ground  broken.  The  cli- 
mate is  especially  severe  on  white  women  and  children. 
Malaria  and  digestive  troubles  aside,  the  health  of  the 
colony  is  fairly  good,  and  the  danger  from  epidemic  dis- 
ease comparatively  slight.  Smallpox  is  always  present ; 
but  it  seldom  spreads  rapidly,  as  a large  percentage  of  the 
natives  have  it  during  childhood,  so  that  there  is  hardly 
material  for  an  epidemic.  Cholera  is  infrequent,  but  when 
it  once  starts  it  can  not  be  controlled.  The  natives  believe 
that  a black  dog  runs  down  the  streets  and  the  disease 
breaks  out  behind  him.  They  declare  that  it  is  the  will 
of  God,  and  refuse  to  take  the  simplest  precaution.” 

This  was  written  before  the  terrible  cholera  epidemic 
of  1902.  It  was  shown  conclusively  in  that  scourge  that 
modern  sanitary  methods  are  effective  in  staying  cholera 


Tiif.  Philippine  Archipelago. 


23 


in  the  degree  to  which  they  can  be  applied ; and  during 
this  year  (1903)  such  has  been  the  vigilance  of  the  health 
authorities  in  Manila,  cholera  has  been  held  in  check  in 
the  face  of  what  would  have  been  insuperable  difficulties 
under  Spanish  rule. 

As  a practical  proof  of  the  comparative  heathfulness 
of  the  Philippine  Islands,  the  experience  of  the  American 
army  is  conclusive. 

Though  exposed  to  the 
full  effects  of  the  cli- 
mate, the  health  of  the 
troops  has  averaged 
but  little  less  satisfac- 
torily than  while  in  bar- 
racks in  Kansas  or 
Texas  or  Dakota. 

The  monsoon,  or  wet 
season,  is  commonly 
reported  to  be  the  most 
trying  for  Americans. 

It  usually  begins  about 
the  middle  of  July,  and 
continues  with  more  or 
less  severity  for  three 
months.  During  these 
m o n t h s the  normal 
rainfall  in  central  Luzon  is  one  hundred  inches,  or  eight 
feet  on  the  level.  Rivers  are  flooded,  roads  become 
bottomless,  bridges  are  washed  out,  and  all  the  earth 
is  soaked.  As  a matter  of  fact,  this  season  is  one  of  the 
most  enjoyable  in  the  whole  year.  With  the  exception  of 
two  or  three  storms,  either  amounting  to  typhoons,  or,  at 
the  least,  to  furious  wind  and  rain  lasting  from  one  to  ten 
days  each,  this  much  dreaded  season  is  one  of  alternate 


24 


The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 


showers  and  sunshine,  much  like  a wet  summer  in  one 
of  our  home  States.  The  excessive  and  continued  moist- 
ure causes  clothing  to  mildew,  and  boots,  shoes,  and  all 
leather  goods  not  in  constant  use,  to  mold.  But  brisk 
rubbing  and  a few  hours  of  sunshine  restores  them  to  a 
condition  almost  or  quite  as  good  as  before  they  were  dis- 
colored. This  season  of  moisture  is  the  time  for  sowing 
rice,  and  getting  it  safely  on  toward  harvest.  If  the  rain- 
fall is  scanty,  crops  are  also  scanty,  prices  rise,  and  all 
suffer.  The  whole  economic  situation  year  by  year  de- 
pends upon  this  unpopular  monsoon  season,  and  perma- 
nent residents  learn  to  endure  the  moisture,  and  even  the 
mold  and  mildew,  with  light  hearts,  knowing  that  plenty 
of  rain  means  plenty  of  food  and  prosperous  times. 

The  much  dreaded  typhoon  does  its  deadly  work  in 
this  season.  As  a matter  of  fact  the  typhoon  is  not  nearly 
so  deadly  as  its  American  cousin,  the  cyclone.  The  cy- 
clone is  a whirling,  electric  storm,  sweeping  everything 
from  its  path  of  destruction.  The  typhoon  is,  in  the  main, 
a furious  but  straight-ahead  wind-storm,  piling  the  sea 
up  in  mountain-like  waves,  overturning  small  houses,  and 
sending  insecure  roofs  sailing  away  from  the  houses  they 
had  covered.  But  the  mischief  wrought  by  a dozen  ty- 
phoons will  not  equal  that  done  by  one  cyclone.  I have 
passed  through  two  typhoons  in  Manila,  and  they  are  com- 
paratively mild  affairs. 

The  soil  of  the  Archipelago  is  of  a high  average  fer- 
tility. It  produces  astonishingly  heavy  crops  of  sugar- 
cane, hemp,  rice,  and  tobacco  year  after  year,  with  not  only 
no  artificial  enrichment,  but  with  the  very  idea  that  any 
soil  needs  such  enrichment  undreamed  of  by  the  native 
owner  and  cultivator.  I crossed  the  Pacific  in  1902  with 
an  expert  in  the  sugar  industry.  He  had  been  sent  by  a 
syndicate  in  Buenos  Ayres  to  make  tests  of  Philippine  soils 


A TREE-FERN. 


The  Piiii.ippixe  Archipeeaco. 


27 


with  reference  to  their  adaptability  to  growing  sugar-cane. 
His  official  report  proved  the  soil  of  Negros  and  parts  of 
Luzon  superior  to  any  soils  in  South  America,  Hawaii. 
Java,  or  Cuba  for  such  purposes.  Lack  of  transportation 
facilities  and  distance  from  large  markets,  as  well  as  diffi- 
culties connected  with  labor,  led  him  to  report  unfavorably 
as  to  the  immediate  investment  of  capital  in  the  sugar 
business  here. 

Minerals  abound.  The  best  coal  yet  found  is  in  Ba- 
taan, a peninsula  on  the  west  coast  of  Luzon.  In  Mindoro 
and  Cebu  are  coal  deposits,  and  in  the  small  adjacent  isle 
of  Semarara.  Like  Mexico,  the  entire  surface  of  the 
Archipelago  seems  impregnated  with  gold  to  a greater  or 
less  extent.  It  is  for  the  most  part  detrital,  and  is  found 
in  paying  quantities  in  and  along  water  courses,  as  in 
placer  deposits  elsewhere.  The  natives  work  in  the 
placers  with  cocoanut  pans.  Mindanao  has  some  elevated 
auriferous  gravel-beds,  well  situated  for  hydraulic  mining. 
Quartz  gold  is  found  in  abundance  in  the  province  of 
Camarines  and  on  the  island  of  Panaon.  Quartz  veins  in 
granite  are  found  at  Paracale.  Northern  Luzon  and  Min- 
danao have  extensive  copper  beds ; also  the  provinces  of 
Lepanto-Bontoc ; and  Cebu  has  extensive  lead  deposits. 
There  is  an  abundance  of  iron  ore  on  half  of  a dozen 
islands.  The  Sulu  archipelago  has  pearls.  Leyte  has  coal 
and  oil ; Biliran.  sulphur  ; Samar,  coal  and  gold  : Romblon, 
marble;  Masbate,  coal  and  copper;  Marinduque,  lead  and 
silver;  and  Catanduanes.  Sibuyan  Bohol,  and  Panaoan, 
gold.  In  the  province  of  Benghet,  Luzon,  gold  mines 
showing  assays  as  rich  as  $27.50  to  the  ton,  and  many 
showing  from  $6  to  $12  to  the  ton,  are  now'  located  by 
American  mining  experts.  It  is  more  than  probable  that 
the  Philippines  will  yet  rival  Alaska  in  the  production  of 
gold.  Iron  ore  of  excellent  quality,  yielding  up  to  85  per 


28 


The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 


cent  of  pure  metal,  exists  in  Luzon,  and  other  excellent 
iron  districts  are  found  elsewhere  in  the  islands.  In  the 
last  century,  iron  mines  were  worked  with  great  success 
in  Morong,  but  were  finally  closed  by  tbe  government  on 
the  ground  that  the  workmen,  who  were  Chinese,  were 
not  Christians.  The  luckless  owner  was  obliged  to  send 
all  these  workmen  to  China  at  his  own  expense,  and  the 


isoac,  the  capital  of  the  province  of  marinduque. 

government  refused  to  pay  him  for  the  iron  lie  had  al- 
readv  delivered,  on  the  ground  that  he  had  insulted  the 
Church  in  employing  pagans.  The  iron  mines  at  Angat, 
in  Bulacan,  are  richer  and  purer  than  the  best  Spanish 
ore,  which  is  so  popular  in  the  iron  foundries  of  England. 

In  different  parts  of  the  Archipelago,  large  deposits  of 
sulphur  and  arsenic  are  found,  in  the  volcanic  regions 
sometimes  of  the  utmost  purity,  and  sometimes  mixed 
with  copper  and  iron.  Explorers  report  valuable  dis- 


Tiif.  Philippine  Archipelago. 


29 


coveries  of  slate,  borax,  plumbago,  granite,  coral  rocks, 
sandstone,  and  limestone.  There  are  deposits  of  gyp- 
sum on  a small  island  opposite  the  village  of  Culasi 
in  Western  Panay,  and  also  Mindoro.  Large  beds  of 
good  marble  are  found  both  in  Luzon  and  Romblon. 
Mines  of  natural  paint,  probably  red  lead,  are  found  in 
Mindoro.  Petroleum  occurs  in  several  islands,  one  of 
tbe  best  districts  being  in  Western  Cebu,  near  Toledo, 
v.’here  free-flowing  wells  have  been  opened. 

Once  American  industry  and  enterprise  obtain  a foot- 
hold in  the  Philippines,  and  enough  discoveries  are  made 
to  stimulate  more  active  search,  it  seems  reasonably  cer- 
tain that  valuable  mineral  wealth  will  be  found  in  com- 
mercial quantities. 

No  view  of  the  Archipelago  would  be  complete  which 
failed  to  emphasize  the  great  beauty  of  tbe  scenery.  A 
trip  in  the  interior,  or  a voyage  among  the  islands  reminds 
one  of  Tennyson’s  description  of  the  spot  on  which  Enoch 
Arden  spent  the  long  years  of  his  banishment.  Here  one 
sees, — 


“The  mountains  wooded  to  the  peak;  the  lawns 
And  winding  glades,  high  up  like  ways  to  heaven ; 
The  slender  coco’s  drooping  crown  of  plumes ; 
The  lightning  flash  of  insect  and  of  bird  ; 

The  luster  of  the  long  convolvuluses, 

That  coiled  around  the  stately  stems,  and  ran 
Even  to  the  limit  of  the  land ; the  glows 
And  glories  of  the  broad  belt  of  the  world, — 

All  these  he  saw ; he  heard 

The  myriad  shriek  of  wheeling  ocean-fowl, 

The  league-long  roller  thundering  on  the  reef. 


The  sunrise  broken  into  scarlet  shafts 
Among  the  palms  and  ferns  and  precipices; 
The  blaze  upon  the  waters  to  the  east ; 


3° 


The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 


The  blaze  upon  his  island  overhead ; 

The  blaze  upon  the  waters  to  the  west; 

Then  the  great  stars  that  globed  themselves  in  heaven, 
The  hollower-bellowing  ocean,  and  again 
The  scarlet  shafts  of  sunrise.” 


ON  THE  DINAI.UPIHAN  RIVER, 
BATAAN  PROVINCE. 


CHAPTER  II. 


Who  are  the  Filipinos? 

It  is  a fundamental  mistake  to  think  of  the  inhabitants 
of  ihe  Philippine  Islands  as  one  people.  They  are  as  far 
from  being  one  people  as  the  inhabitants  of  Europe,  India, 
or  South  America.  Nearly  all  the  blunders  of  our  critics, 
and  many  of  the  failures  of  our  legislators,  arise  from 
this  misunderstanding.  We  must  know  who  are  meant 
by  “the  people  of  the  Philippines,”  if  either  legislator, 
administrator,  or  missionary  is  to  proceed  with  wisdom. 

Two  main  divisions  emerge  at  the  very  outset  of  our 
investigations.  These  are  the  non-Christian  tribes  on  the 
one  hand  and  the  Christianized  Filipino  on  the  other. 
With  some  modification,  these  two  chief  divisions  of  the 
Filipino  total  might  be  called  Aboriginal  and  Invader, 
though  neither  term  would  wholly  stand  off  from  the 
other.  But,  with  some  exception,  it  is  true  that  the  non- 
Christian  peoples  were  here  first,  and  the  Christianized 
inhabitants  are  descendants  of  invaders,  who  have  driven 
the  aborigines  into  the  mountains  and  forests. 

Both  of  these  classes  again  subdivide  on  ethnological 
and  linguistic  lines  of  cleavage,  until,  instead  of  a homo- 
geneous people  speaking  one  tongue,  as  in  Japan,  we  have 
heterogeneity  raised  to  its  highest  power, — sixty-nine 
sorts  of  people,  speaking  thirty-four  languages,  and  nearly 
a dozen  dialects  in  addition.  And  the  ethnologist  assures 
us  that  his  science  has  not  spoken  her  last  word  as  to  how 
many  fractions  of  the  whole  people  may  yet  be  found. 

31 


32 


The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 


While  it  is  true  that  the  term  “Filipinos”  usually  sig- 
nifies the  so-called  Christianized  descendants  of  early 
Malay  invaders,  and  that  it  is  with  these  people  that  the 
government  and  the  missionary  are  chiefly  concerned,  yet 
the  lesser  fractions  of  the  whole  population  are  full  of 
interest. 

Proceeding  in  chronological,  rather  than  numerical 
order,  the  first  of  these  non-Christian  bodies  that  demand 
attention  is  the  dwarf  Negro,  called  in  Spanish,  Negrito, 
(Neg-ree-to).  There  are  about  thirty  thousand  of  these 
little  people  in  the  Islands.  They  are  scattered  quite 
widely,  being  most  numerous  on  the  island  of  Luzon. 

The  Negrito  has  the  crispy  hair,  wide  nose,  thick  lips, 
and  long  heel  of  the  African  Negro,  but  never  attains  a 
stature  of  five  feet.  His  head  differs  markedly  from  that 
of  the  pure  Negro,  being  almost  exactly  round.  He  is  a 
savage  pure  and  simple.  He  builds  no  house.  If  his 
sleeping  place  by  the  root  of  some  huge  tree  or  on  the 
lee  side  of  a log  is  approached  by  any  human  being,  he 
scurries  away  like  a rabbit.  It  is  seldom  that  the  most 
wary  traveler  can  find  a group  of  families  together.  They 
plant  a little  mountain  rice  here  and  there,  but  depend 
mostly  on  such  game  as  they  can  get  with  their  bows  and 
arrows,  with  which  they  are  quite  skillful.  They  are 
particularly  fond  of  monkey-meat,  and  the  poor  simian 
who  is  surrounded  by  a half  dozen  Negritos  with  their 
wicked  little  bows  and  lithe  arrows,  has  small  chance  of 
escape. 

Here  and  there  traces  of  Negrito  blood  can  be  found 
among  regular  Filipinos — kinky  hair  and  a width  of  nose 
never  found  among  the  Malay  natives;  but  in  the  main 
the  tiny  black  man  of  the  deep  forests  has  kept  to  himself 
and  to  his  kind. 

Ethnological  investigation  carried  on  here  for  three 


Who  are  the  Filipinos? 


33 


years  by  the  bureau  of  which  Dr.  David  P.  Barrows  lias 
been  superintendent,  identifies  the  Negrito  as  the  true 
aboriginal  inhabitant.  He  is  probably  related  to  the  pure 
Negro  of  Melanesia,  being  dwarfed  by  long  centuries  of 
forest  life,  with  its  exposure  and  poor  fare.  A timid  tribe 
of  savages  they  have  so  far  successfully  resisted  such 
rude  attempts  to  civilize  or  Christianize  them  as  Spain 
and  her  friar  agents  knew  bow  to  make.  It  is  to  be  feared 
that  they  will  perish  from  among  the  inhabitants  of  the 
Philippines  in  obedience  to  the  law  which  exacts  obedi- 
ence and  labor  from  all  who  would  continue  to  live  on  the 
face  of  the  earth. 

The  Igorrotes  (Ig-or-rotes)  are  a more  formidable 
race  of  savages.  They  are  as  decidedly  a mountain  people 
as  the  Negritos  are  forest  dwellers.  The  Igorrote  is  found 
in  the  lofty  Cordillera  that  runs  northward  through  the 
body  of  Luzon.  There  are  several  tribes,  each  having 
its  own  habits,  customs,  and  dialect.  They  are  of  medium 
stature,  with  strong  marks  of  Malay  blood  in  their  forms 
and  features.  Ethnologists  are  inclined  to  regard  them 
as  aboriginal  Malays,  strongly  mixed  with  Chinese  blood. 
Later  chapters  will  show  that  Spain  drove  many  Chinese 
to  take  refuge  in  the  mountains  of  Northern  Luzon,  and 
it  is  known  that  they  lived  among  the  Igorrotes.  The 
Igorrote  is  sturdily  independent.  Three  Spanish  gov- 
ernor-generals tried  to  add  to  their  military  laurels  by 
conquering  them,  and  defeat  attended  each  attempt. 
Friars  have  exhausted  every  effort  to  reach  the  Igorrote, 
but  entirely  in  vain.  He  still  lives  and  hunts,  and  takes 
the  heads  of  his  enemies  in  the  tribal  race-feuds,  exactly 
as  he  did  when  Spanish  occupation  began. 

He  is  usually  a peaceable  savage  so  far  as  outsiders 
are  concerned.  Only  when  they  mix  in  his  quarrels  do 
the  Igorrotes  trouble  other  races.  He  is  trusted  entirely 
3 


34  The  Philippines  and  the  Far  Fast. 

by  those  who  know  him  best.  I saw  an  American  officer 
of  police  band  over  five  thousand  dollars  in  silver  coins 
to  a half-dozen  Igorrote  carriers,  telling  them  plainly 
what  was  in  the  boxes,  take  their  rude  scrawl  of  a receipt, 
and  let  them  start  off  with  that  specie  on  their  backs  for 
a three-days’  march  into  the  mountains,  and  later  heard 
that  every  package  came  through  safe.  As  laborers  they 
are  quite  satisfactory  while  they  care  to  work;  but  with  a 
few  coins  over  and  above  present  needs,  they  quit,  and 
enjoy  their  gains.  On  their  own  lands,  nearly  all  of 
which  they  rescue  from  steep  hillsides  by  a laborious 
method  of  terracing  with  stone  walls,  they  work  with 
patient  and  really  skillful  hands.  Dr.  Barrows  says.  “The 
Igorrote  is  the.  only  scientific  agriculturist  which  we  have 
discovered  in  the  Philippines.”  They  carry  water  for 
irrigating  these  pitiful  little  patches,  in  ditches  of  their 
own  devising,  around  mountain  sides,  and  across  valleys 
even,  by  means  of  pipes  or  stone  sluices  carried  on  pillars 
of  rock.  Two  or  three  crops  a year  are  wrung  from 
these  bits  of  hillside  terraces,  and  carried  hundreds  of 
feet  up  or  down  to  the  huts  of  the  tribe. 

There  is  no  political  organization  beyond  that  of  the 
village.  Union  of  village  with  village  is  unknown.  An 
American  official  told  me  of  having  spent  the  night  in 
an  Igorrote  town  from  which  five  other  clusters  of  huts 
could  be  seen  on  near-by  mountain  sides.  Every  one  of 
these  villages  was  at  feud  with  all  the  others,  and  no  one 
ventured  five  miles  from  his  own  home  without  imminent 
risk  of  losing  his  head.  It  is  estimated  that  at  least  sixty 
Christianized  Filipinos  have  lost  their  heads  at  the  hands 
of  these  savages  within  the  past  twelve  months ; while 
the  number  slain  in  village  feuds  and  in  payment  of  “the 
debt  of  life”  between  tribes  is  many  times  greater.  Some 
hundreds  of  Igorrote  children  arc  now  in  the  public 


Who  are  the  Filipinos? 


35 


schools.  What  the  influence  of  education  may  be  on 
these  stolid,  filthy,  industrious  savages  it  is  difficult  to 
predict.  Many  who  know  them  quite  intimately  are  very 
sanguine.  It  is  a long  leap  from  savagery,  with  its  in- 
herited instincts,  to  high  schools  and  normal  training. 
The  children  of  the  Igorrote  may  take  it  in  safety ; but 
our  experience  with  the  black  man  and  the  red  man  is 
not  such  as  to  make  it  entirely  certain  that  the  sudden 
change  will  bring  about  unmixed  good. 

The  Tinguianes  are  a queer  people  in  Northern  Luzon. 
They  are  an  agricultural  people,  and  have  many  curious 
customs.  The  head  man,  assuming  his  duties  takes  the 
following  oath : “May  a pernicious  wind  touch  me,  may 
a flash  of  lightning  kill  me,  and  may  the  alligator  catch 
me  asleep,  if  I fail  to  fulfill  my  duties!”  By  their  laws, 
says  Mr.  Foreman,  “the  crime  of  adultery  is  punished 
by  a fine  of  thirty  dollars  value  and  by  divorce;  but  if 
the  adultery  was  mutual,  the  divorce  is  pronounced  abso- 
lute, without  the  payment  of  a fine.”  They  are  pure 
pagans.  They  have  no  temples.  Their  idols  are  hidden 
away  from  public  gaze  in  remote  caves  and  ravines. 

Where  an  epidemic  is  raging,  certain  small  idols, 
called  Anitos,  are  carried  about  and  exhorted  to  stay  its 
dread  effects.  When  a child  is  to  be  named,  the  infant 
is  carried  into  a dense  forest,  and  the  priest  pronounces 
a name,  at  the  same  time  raising  a heavy  knife  over  the 
child’s  head.  On  lowering  the  knife  he  strikes  it  deeply 
into  a tree.  If  sap  flows  freely  from  the  knife-wound, 
the  name  first  pronounced  is  fixed  upon.  If  not,  the 
ceremony  is  repeated  until  the  will  of  their  Anitos  is 
discovered  in  a prompt  gush  of  sap.  These  people  are 
strict  monogamists,  the  bride  being  bought  by  the  father 
of  the  bridegroom  before  she  has  attained  maturity.  They 
live  in  small  huts,  built  high  up  among  the  branches  of 


36  The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 

large  trees  to  be  above  their  enemies.  From  their  custom 
of  tattooing  themselves  and  blacking  their  teeth,  it  is 
supposed  that  they  are  descendants  of  shipwrecked 
Japanese  or  of  the  members  of  a stray  Japanese  colony. 
Catholic  friars  abandoned  all  attempts  to  gain  any  relig- 
ious hold  upon  either  the  Tinguianes  or  Igorrotes  many 
years  ago. 

It  was  a strange  fate  that  met  the  Spaniards  in  these 
Eastern  seas.  In  their  own  land  they  had  long  fought 
with  the  Moor,  or  Moro,  as  they  called  him.  That  they 
should  find  the  followers  of  Mohammed  in  these  far- 
distant  islands  must  have  filled  them  with  dismay.  But 
the  Moro  was  here.  When  Legaspi  came  to  complete 
the  conquest  and  organization  of  lands  discovered  by 
Magellan,  lie  found  Mohammedan  Malays  from  Borneo 
rapidly  gaining  ascendency  in  the  Archipelago.  Much 
of  the  southern  part  was  already  overrun.  Mindoro  was 
wholly  Mohammedan,  and  Manila  was  under  the  control 
of  an  insolent  and  fiery  Moslem  datto,  or  petty  sultan. 
Though  driven  out  of  Manila  and  off  both  Mindoro  and 
Luzon,  the  Moros  still  hold  all  the  Jolo  group  of  islands, 
and  practically  all  of  the  large  and  fertile  island  of  Min- 
danao. The  Moro  is  a Malay,  with  little  admixture  of 
blood.  His  religion  is  a degraded  Mohammedanism. 
He  writes  and  prints  his  books  in  the  Arabic  character, 
though  his  speech  is  a strange  mixture  of  pure  Malay, 
Visayan,  and  Arabic.  He  is  a warlike  man,  having  held 
the  officials  in  terror  during  nearly  the  entire  period  of 
Spanish  occupation.  With  his  own  weapons  he  is  prac- 
tically irresistible.  Like  “Fuzzy-Wuzzy,” 

“ ’E  rushes  at  the  smoke  when  we  let  drive, 

An’  ’fore  we  know  ’e ’s  kickin'  at  our  ’ead  ; 

’E ’s  all  ’ot  sand  an’  ginger  when  alive, 

An’  gen’r’lly  a-sliaminin’  when  ’e ’s  dead,” 


Who  are  tiie  Filipinos? 


37 


Like  all  Mohammedan  warriors,  they  are  taught  to 
believe  that  special  rewards  await  him  who  dies  fighting 
“the  infidel.”  Warriors  who  are  lusting  for  an  oppor- 
tunity to  die  are  desperate  fighters. 

“All  males  above  sixteen  years  of  age  go  armed,  un- 
less prevented  from  doing  so  by  law.  The  Moros  make 
their  own  steel  weapons,  which  are  often  beautifully  fin- 
ished, and  are  always  admirably  adapted  to  the  purposes 
for  which  they  are  intended.  In  close  combat  they  usually 
trust  to  the  barong — a weapon  fashioned  somewhat  on  the 
plan  of  a butcher’s  cleaver,  with  thick  back  and  thin  razor 
edge.  It  is  capable  of  inflicting  fearful  injury.  To  lop 
off  a head,  arm,  or  leg  with  a barong  is  merely  child’s 
play.  The  strong  and  skillful  warrior  prides  himself  on 
being  able  to  halve  an  opponent  if  he  can  catch  him 
fairly  across  the  small  of  the  back.  . . . 

“The  straight  kris  (pronounced  kreese)  is  a narrow- 
bladed,  doubled-edged  sword,  used  for  cutting  and  thrust- 
ing. The  serpent  kris,  with  its  wavy,  double-edged  blade, 
is  used  for  thrusting,  and  inflicts  a horrible  wound.  The 
campilan  is  a straight-edged,  two-handed  sword,  with  a 
blade  wide  at  the  tip,  and  steadily  narrowing  toward  the 
hilt.  It  is  used  for  cutting  only,  and  is  tremendously  ef- 
fective. Under  all  circumstances  a Moro  carries  a barong, 
kris , or  campilan  thrust  into  his  sash.  If  he  expects 
serious  trouble,  he  has,  in  addition,  a shield  of  light  wood, 
and  a lance  with  a broad,  keen  head.  The  Moro  is  crazy 
to  get  hold  of  firearms. 

“The  men  are  very  skillful  boatmen  and  sailors.  Their 
p rails,  which  are  carved  out  of  logs  with  great  skill,  are 
frail-looking  affairs,  but  bamboo  outriggers  prevent  their 
sinking,  even  when  filled  with  water.”* 

Among  the  Moros  the  custom  of  “running  amuck,” 
or  “juramentado,”  still  prevails.  When  a Moro  wishes 
to  end  his  life  in  a blaze  of  religious  glory,  and  make 


^Worcester,  pp.  154-158. 


38 


The  Philippines  and  the  Par  East. 


sure  of  a high  seat  in  the  Mohammedan  paradise,  he  be- 
comes a self-appointed  slayer  of  infidels.  He  presents 
himself  before  a priest,  or  pandita,  and  takes  a solemn 
oath  to  die  killing  unbelievers.  After  this  he  bathes  in 
sacred  water,  shaves  off  his  eyebrows,  secretes  his  mur- 
derous barong  or  “the  cursed  Malayan  kris”  about  his 
person,  and  sallies  forth.  Once  in  the  presence  of  Chris- 
tians, be  they  men,  women,  or  children,  he  falls  upon 
them,  killing  and  wounding  all  he  can  reach  until  he 
himself  is  struck  down.  He  asks  no  quarter.  It  is  glory 
to  die  fighting.  So  blind  are  these  men  in  their  mad  fury 
of  religious  bigotry  that  they  have  been  known  “to  seize 
the  barrel  of  a rifle  on  being  bayoneted,  and  drive  the 
steel  into  themselves  farther  in  order  to  bring  the  soldier 
at  the  other  end  of  the  piece  within  striking  distance  and 
cut  him  down.”  One  of  these  wretches  killed  twenty- 
three  men,  women,  and  children  in  Mindanao  during 
1903,  before  he  could  be  stopped  in  his  furious  career  by 
death  or  mortal  wounds.  He  received  twelve  bullet 
wounds,  and  was  finally  clubbed  to  death.  His  relatives 
take  great  pride  in  his  devotion,  and  recite  the  list  of 
his  victims  with  much  satisfaction.  They  believe  that 
he  may  be  seen  just  between  twilight  and  dark  of  the  day 
of  his  death  riding  his  white  charger  in  the  abode  of  the 
blessed. 

During  1902-3  they  tried  to  drive  our  troops  out  of 
Mindanao,  and  met  the  surprise  of  their  lives.  Captain 
J.  J.  Pershing  led  troops  against  them,  smashed  their 
“forts,”  swept  their  “first-class  fighting  men”  away  at 
every  charge,  and  so  humbled  their  pride  that  they  are 
likely  to  settle  down  into  tolerably  good  citizens.  Special 
legislation  adapted  to  their  needs  has  been  provided. 
General  Leonard  Wood  is  their  governor.  In  an  up- 
rising in  Jolo  in  November,  1903,  General  Wood  broke 


Who  are  the  Filipinos? 


39 


their  military  strength  beyond  remedy.  The  Moro  is  in 
process  of  civilization.  He  lias  been  compelled  to  give 
up  slavery  by  legislation  put  into  force  since  General 
Wood  took  charge. 

There  are  seven  main  racial  and  linguistic  subdivi- 
sions of  the  typical  Filipinos,  between  each  of  which 
there  is  more  or  less  of  suspicion,  if  not  actual  distrust 
and  dislike.  This,  added  to  language  barriers,  makes  it 
impossible  to  speak  of  "the  Filipino  people”  as  one  hav- 
ing common  aspirations  or  common  sympathies.  There 
are  many  lesser  divisions  with  which  the  limits  of  this 
work  will  not  permit  me  to  deal.  Nearly  all  of  the  latter 
will  disappear  with  the  introduction  of  a common  speech 
(English)  and  that  breaking  down  of  provincial  harriers 
which  will  come  with  better  postal  facilities  and  railways. 
These  seven  main  fractions  of  the  total  population  will 
lose  their  identity  very  slowly,  if  at  all. 

Beginning  at  the  south,  these  seven  divisions  of  the 
Christianized  Filipinos  are  Visayans,  Bicols,  Tagalogs, 
Pampangans,  Pangasinans,  Ilocanos,  and  Cagayahos.  A 
rough  count  of  advance  sheets  from  the  new  census  gives 
the  Visayans  the  lead  in  numbers,  with  an  approximate 
total  of  3,225,000;  Tagalogs  come  next,  with  1,500,000; 
Ilocanos  and  Bicols  follow,  with  about  500,000  each ; 
while  the  Pampangan  and  Pangasinan  peoples  number 
about  335,000  each.  Visayans  of  varying  speech,  and 
wide  differences  of  feature  and  stature  as  well  as  mental 
and  moral  status,  fill  all  the  so-called  "Southern  Islands” 
except  the  portions  of  Mindanao  and  Jolo,  which  are 
entirely  occupied  by  Moros.  Bicols  are  only  found  in 
the  very  south  of  Luzon.  Tagalogs  are  great  wanderers, 
but  their  own  peculiar  territory  is  Southern  and  Central 
Luzon.  Pampangans  and  Pangasinans  are  chiefly  found 
in  provinces  of  the  same  names  in  Luzon ; and  Ilocanos 


4o 


The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 


are  at  home  in  the  Northwest  Coast  provinces  of  the  same 
island,  though,  like  the  Tagalogs,  they  are  a venturesome, 
commercial  people,  and  are  found  in  all  provinces  of 
Northern  Luzon  and  in  all  parts  of  the  Archipelago. 
Cagayahos  live  in  the  valley  of  the  Cagayan  River,  in 
Northeastern  Luzon. 

The  languages  of  these  seven  races  all  spring  from 
the  original  Malay.  But  they  have  become  as  completely 
differentiated  as  Spanish  and  Italian,  or  Portuguese  and 
French.  Each  has  its  own  grammar  and  vocabulary. 
None  of  the  races  named  can  understand  each  other,  the 
nearest  approach  to  an  exception  being  in  the  case  of  the 
comparatively  small  body  of  Pampangans,  whose  speech 
is  sufficiently  akin  to  Tagalog  to  enable  them  to  follow  a 
conversation  in  a loose  general  way,  after  a little  practice. 

There  are  other  marked  differences  among  these  peo- 
ples which  lie  deeper  than  languages.  The  Tagalogs  are 
the  most  enterprising,  the  most  quarrelsome,  the  most 
restless  race  in  the  Islands.  Partly  because  of  their  shar- 
ing more  largely  in  European  culture  through  living  in 
Manila  and  the  immediately  adjoining  provinces,  but 
chiefly  because  of  strong  racial  tendencies,  they  have 
come  to  be  recognized  as  the  leaders  in  all  movements 
looking  toward  progress.  The  chief  insurrections  of  the 
past  have  been  Tagalog  insurrections.  The  insurrection 
of  1896-7  and  opposition  to  the  American  regime  were 
both  begun  anti  officered  almost  wholly  bv  Tagalogs. 
Aguinaldo  is  a Tagalog.  The  Partido  Federal,  or  Fed- 
eral party,  and  the  Nationalist  party,  are  officered  and 
made  up  of  members  of  the  same  race.  The  Tagalog  is 
everywhere.  He  is  fond  of  change.  He  is  a trader  and 
a traveler.  Many  Tagalogs  have  studied  and  traveled 
in  Europe  after  having  taken  courses  of  study  in  Manila 


Who  are  the  Filipinos? 


4i 

institutions.  Few  of  the  other  races  have  been  far  from 
their  island  homes. 

Next  in  alertness  and  progressivencss  come  the  Ilo- 
canos.  They,  too,  are  migratory.  They  “swarm  ofT’ 
from  home  hives,  and  settle  in  far  provinces.  Pangasinan 
province  has  at  least  a population  one-third  Ilocano.  The 
rich  Cagayan  Valley,  in  the  extreme  north  of  Luzon, 
has  a high  percentage  of  the  same  race.  Among  the 
Igorrotes  of  various  tribes  in  the  mountain  provinces  of 
Luzon,  business  is  almost  wholly  in  Ilocano  hands.  Offi- 
cers of  our  army  who  have  had  wide  experience  with 
the  various  races,  are  practically  unanimous  in  their  good 
opinion  of  the  Ilocano  people.  They  give  them  credit 
for  more  industry,  enterprise,  and  trustworthiness  than 
any  of  the  other  races  with  which  they  have  been  in 
contact. 

The  Visayans  are,  as  a whole,  a less  progressive,  more 
quiet,  peace-loving  people.  The  insurrection  of  1896-7 
took  but  feeble  hold  on  them.  Only  in  Samar  and  parts 
of  Cebu  did  our  army  have  serious  trouble  with  the  na- 
tives, and  even  there  the  hand  of  the  restless  Tagalog 
was  ever  present. 


ON  MANILA  BAY. 


CHAPTER  III. 


Social  Order  and  General  Characteristics. 

The  Philippine  social  order  is  much  the  same  in  its 
broad  outlines  as  it  was  when  the  Spanish  discovered 
the  Archipelago.  At  that  time  the  majority  of  the  people 
were  living  in  independent  communities  under  the  rule 
of  chiefs  called  dattos,  and  their  lieutenants,  who  com- 
posed the  nobility  of  the  village  and  formed  a hereditary 
caste.  Below  these  were  the  plebeians,  or  working, 
trading  peasantry ; and  below  these  still  were  the  slaves. 
These  latter  were  chiefly  captives  taken  in  the  almost 
incessant  forays  which  were  carried  on  against  neigh- 
boring communities. 

The  Spanish  authorities,  civil  and  religious,  broke 
down  the  hereditary  authority  of  the  dattos  and  their 
assistants  by  drawing  several  villages  into  one  govern- 
ment, called  a pueblo,  leaving  each  unit  of  fifty  families 
as  a “barangay,”  or  village,  and  appointing  over  each  of 
these  villages,  or  “barrios  ” a “cabeza,”  or  head,  whose 
immediate  accountability  was  to  the  head  or  “presidente” 
of  the  pueblo.  This  amalgamation  was  accomplished 
slowly,  and  in  spite  of  much  open  and  secret  opposition. 
Several  insurrections  have  left  their  bloody  trail  across 
the  earlier  attempts  to  destroy  hereditary  chieftainship 
over  each  village.  And  all  the  efforts  of  the  Spanish 
authority — civil,  military,  and  religious — have  failed  to 
abolish  the  caste  spirit  which  seems  to  be  inherent  in  all 


42 


Social  Order  and  General  Characteristics.  43 

the  Far  East.  There  are  still  three  classes  in  the  social 
order — the  principals,  or  class  of  superior  wealth,  fam- 
ily, or  position  ; the  working  people  ; and  the  dependientes, 


TREE-HOUSE  OF  THE  GADDANES,  NEAR  I LAGAN, 

ISABELLA  PROVINCE,  LUZON. 

or  dependents  of  men  of  “light  and  leading.”  These 
classes  are  not  hedged  about  with  any  such  inviolable 
caste  restrictions  as  prevail  in  India ; but  they  are  sharply 
marked  throughout  the  Islands,  and  persist  in  the  same 


44  The  Philippines  and  the  Par  Past. 

families  with  almost  as  much  certainty  as  where  actual 
caste  bonds  are  thrice  riveted.  This  puts  almost  un- 
limited power  into  the  hands  of  a few  at  the  top  of  the 
social  pyramid.  The  dependientes,  at  the  bottom  of  the 
scale,  have  good  native  capacity.  But  as  tenants-at-will, 
or  occasional  laborers  on  the  large  hemp,  tobacco,  or 
sugar  estates,  they  are,  in  fact  as  well  as  in  name,  de- 
pendent upon  the  caprice  of  some  particular  great  man, 
who  is  a kind  of  visible  providence  to  them.  They  must 
vote  as  he  wishes.  They  must  live  where  he  wishes. 
Their  domestic  matters  even  are  not  free  from  the  sway 
of  this  member  of  the  superior  class.  Their  thriftless- 
ness makes  it  all  the  more  easy  for  the  wealthy  and  in- 
fluential to  keep  them  well  under  control,  as  it  is  easy 
for  them  to  fall  into  debt  to  the  chief  man.  The  book- 
keeping is  done  by  the  powerful  creditor.  In  some  parts 
of  the  Islands  the  principals  hold  hundreds  of  people 
in  practical  serfdom  through  the  operation  of  this  cus- 
tom. Many  large  planters  keep  their  hold  upon  laborers 
for  their  fields  and  factories  by  holding  the  lash  of  a 
perpetual  indebtedness  over  scores  of  families,  many  of 
whom  have  worked  out  all  their  obligations  twice  and 
thrice  over,  but,  unfortunately,  can  furnish  no  tangible 
proofs  of  such  freedom.  In  Spanish  times,  judges,  if 
incorruptible — as  was  seldom  the  case — looked  upon 
such  means  as  justifiable,  as  they  afforded  the  only  prac- 
ticable way  of  securing  labor  needed  to  carry  on  the 
business  of  the  country,  and  hence  refused  to  lift  the 
unjust  load.  What  American  courts  will  do  when  those 
who  sit  on  the  bench  become  familiar  with  the  condition 
of  tens  of  thousands  of  laboring  and  servant  classes, 
remains  to  be  seen.  It  is  to  be  hoped  that  they  will  see 
that  justice  is  done,  even  if  some  cane-fields  stand  uncut. 

This  centralization  of  social,  religious,  and  political 


Social  Order  and  General  Characteristics.  45 

influence  in  a practically  hereditary  class  is  one  of  the 
chief  evils  of  the  Filipino  social  condition.  It  makes  it 
possible  for  demagogues  and  professional  agitators  to 
capture  thousands  by  gaining  ascendency  over  a very 
few  leaders.  It  leaves  the  masses  helpless,  ready  to  be 
stampeded  into  movements  the  animus  of  which  they  no 
more  comprehend  than  they  understand  the  causes  of 
their  practical  enslavement.  Human  nature  being  what 
it  is,  it  is  not  to  be  expected  that  so  much  power  in  the 
hands  of  a few  will  be  exercised  with  that  disinterested- 
ness which  alone  could  free  it  from  pernicious  conse- 
quences. Here  and  there  thy  power  will  be  used  for  un- 
selfish ends.  But  not  so  as  a matter  of  general  averages. 
The  “tao,”  or  common  man,  must  be  made  to  feel  his 
essential  dignity,  and  that  there  is  for  him  and  for  his 
children  a door  of  opportunity  kept  open  whereby  be 
may  better  bis  condition,  before  the  social  order  can  be 
even  measurably  free  from  blemishes. 

Until  1863  no  public  school  opened  its  doors  to  the 
children  of  the  “tao.”  How  poorly  this  system  has  been 
worked  since  that  time  may  be  seen  in  Chapter  XII. 
The  mechanic,  the  servant,  the  farmhand  saw  the  chil- 
dren of  their  hereditary  masters  sent  to  private  schools, 
the  fees  of  which  he  could  not  begin  to  pay.  Thus  the 
relative  position  of  parents  and  children  has  been  main- 
tained generation  after  generation,  exceptions  occurring 
with  sufficient  frequency  to  prove  the  rule,  and  at  the 
same  time  demonstrate  the  innate  capacity  of  the  common 
people.  Already  the  public  schools,  with  all  their  ad- 
vantages free  to  rich  and  poor,  are  beginning  that  very 
disturbing,  but  wholesome,  process  which  was  once 
called  “turning  the  world  upside  down,”  and  is  needed 
from  time  to  time  when  social  conditions  become  inverted. 
Of  the  thousands  who  have  been  most  prompt  to  avail 


46 


The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 


themselves  of  the  advantages  offered  by  the  schools,  the 
children  of  this  large  class  of  poor  and  middle-class  peo- 
ple, form  a very  large  majority,  and  it  is  with  no  little 
misgiving  that  the  hereditary  class  of  principales  see 
laborers’  sons  distancing  their  own  boys  in  learning  Eng- 
lish, and  getting  a general  grasp  of  that  knowledge  which 
even  they  know  “is  power.”  On  more  than  one  occa- 
sion I have  heard  Governor  Taft  express  the  fear  that 
the  people  of  these  Islands  will  be  the  easy  prey  of  selfish 
agitators  as  long  as  the  social  order  remains  substan- 
tially unchanged.  And,  indeed,  proofs  are  to  be  had  for 
the  asking.  At  the  present  time  one  Dominador  Gomez 
de  Jesus  is  on  trial  for  sedition  in  Manila.  He  organized 
the  “Union  Obrera,”  or  Labor  Union,  and  used  it  appar- 
ently as  a cover  for  spreading  seditious  doctrines  among 
the  masses.  The  evidence  shows  that,  through  a few 
leaders,  he  swept  thousands  into  the  movement,  pocketed 
their  fees,  and  used  them  as  a means  of  gaining  his  ulti- 
mate end, — that  of  reviving  the  hopes  of  the  people  in 
the  “lost  cause”  of  insurrection.  The  crowds  were  led 
like  sheep.  So  they  have  been  led  in  all  the  dreary  past. 
So  they  will  be  led  until  this  order  of  things  is  broken 
up,  and  it  is  recognized  that, — 

“ A man 's  a man  for  a’  that, 

For  a’  that  and  a’  that! 

Among  the  unfavorable  characteristics  of  the  Filipino 
people,  their  critics  name  untrustworthincss,  indolence, 
ingratitude,  and  cruelty.  In  a greater  or  less  degree 
these  charges  have,  unfortunately,  too  much  foundation 
in  the  admitted  facts  of  daily  life  to  allow  even  their 
warmest  admirers  to  enter  a general  denial.  Admission 
of  some  truth  in  these  hard  accusations,  and  such  ex- 


Social  Order  and  General  Characteristics.  47 


planations  and  qualifications  as  the  case  will  permit,  is 
the  only  frank  and  honorable  course.  And  of  all  people 
under  the  sun,  descendants  of  the  Anglo-Saxon  race 
should  remember  that  stone-throwing  is  a dangerous 
pastime  for  ihose  whose  houses  have  much  glass  in  their 
construction. 

Untrustworthiness,  let  us  remember,  is  a fault  met 
with  among  all  nations.  If  Filipinos  have  a larger  share 
of  this  unlovely  trait  than  other  peoples,  let  it  be  remem- 
bered that  comparative  savagery  is  but  three  centuries 
off,  and  that  such  has  been  the  reign  of  injustice  and 
blind  force  under  which  they  have  lived,  that  deception 
was  their  only  defense  against  merciless  oppression.  Let 
it  be  remembered,  also,  that  even  the  teaching  of  their 
spiritual  guides  puts  no  severe  ban  upon  deceit.  In  the 
Jesuitical  scheme  deceit  is  good  or  bad  according  to  the 
cause  in  which  it  is  employed.  Candor  and  blunt  truth- 
fulness have  never  been  prominent  characteristics  of  the 
Spanish  nation  as  a whole.  Few  characters  in  European 
public  life  have  left  such  indubitable  proofs  of  a uniform 
policy  of  deceit  and  treachery  as  Philip  the  Second  him- 
self. The  experience  of  the  Filipino  people  could  not 
have  been  better  adapted  to  encourage  untruthfulness  on 
a wide  scale.  Forced  labor ; excessive  and  uncertain 
taxation;  courts  which  sold  justice  to  the  highest  bidder; 
police  fleecing  the  prosperous  and  protecting  the  ladrone 
for  a percentage  of  his  stealings ; greedy  Church  officials 
charging  for  all  services  rendered,  and  spending  their 
gains  either  in  unseemly  living  or  in  the  aggrandizement 
of  their  orders, — all  these  causes,  combined  with  the 
fact  that  those  among  whom  they  were  in  operation  were 
a subject  people,  unarmed  and  helpless,  conspired  to  blur 
the  image  of  pure  truth,  and  make  a resort  to  lying  ap- 
pear almost  excusable. 


48 


The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 


Indolence  is  a fact  of  Filipino  life  that  especially 
grates  upon  Americans.  With  our  almost  terrific  ac- 
tivity, the  seemingly  untroubled  idleness  of  the  average 
Filipino  is  exasperating  beyond  measure.  There  can  be 
no  evasion  of  the  fact.  Drive  through  any  provincial 
city  street  midforenoon,  and  see  the  idle  men  and  women 
leaning  from  the  openings  which  pass  for  windows  in 
their  homes,  and  idly  smoking,  if  proof  is  needed.  Con- 
tractors and  civil  engineers  in  charge  of  road-building 
in  the  provinces  meet  one  almost  insuperable  difficulty, — 
the  unwillingness  of  the  native  people  to  labor.  Capital- 
ists visit  the  Philippines,  see  opportunities  for  invest- 
ment, but  after  looking  into  the  labor  question  abandon 
their  plans  and  invest  no  money.  Profitable  tillage  of 
the  soil ; profitable  working  of  the  excellent  mineral  de- 
posits ; the  construction  and  operation  of  railways  to 
open  up  the  rich  interior  of  the  larger  islands, — all  these 
enterprises,  so  urgently  needed  if  the  Filipinos  are  ever 
to  see  the  fulfillment  of  their  own  desires  for  their  coun- 
try, depend  upon  labor. 

Qualifications  and  explanations  of  these  wholesale 
statements  can  readily  be  found,  but  not  of  sufficient 
number  or  weight  entirely  to  break  their  force.  Many 
Filipinos  are  models  of  industry.  I know  servants  who 
are  on  duty  twelve  to  fourteen  hours  of  every  day.  and 
who  do  their  work  as  thoroughly  as  Chinese  or  European 
servants.  Captain  Butt,  of  the  Quartermaster’s  Depart- 
ment in  Manila,  displaced  many  of  his  American  drivers 
and  wagon-men,  and  filled  their  places  with  Filipinos. 
Fie  declared  that  they  were  more  faithful  to  their  duties 
than  the  Americans  had  been.  The  Atlantic,  Pacific 
and  Gulf  Company,  now  engaged  in  building  the  new 
$3,500,000  docks  in  Manila,  say  that,  out  of  more  than 
one  thousand  Filipinos  who  have  now  been  in  their  em- 


Social  Order  and  General  Characteristics.  49 

ploy  more  than  one  year,  the  great  majority  have  given 
good  satisfaction.  But  this  great  firm  of  contractors  has 
built  a village  for  their  employees,  furnishing  a cockpit 
and  band  for  their  amusement,  and  exhausted  their  in- 
genuity in  other  directions  to  keep  their  native  laborers 
contented.  Not  all  employers  of  labor  can  go  to  such 


igorrottes. 

expense.  In  a recent  tract  Aguinaldo  says : “All,  and 
every  one  must  awake  and  arise  out  of  our  lethargy,  and 
work.  Arise ! Give  your  attention  to  work  and  thus 
bring  your  country  and  its  poor,  suffering  inhabitants 
out  of  their  great  misery.  Without  manual  labor  we 
can  expect  nothing.” 

If  one  is  openminded  he  will  find  several  more  or 


4 


5° 


The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 


less  satisfactory  explanations  of  this  habit  of  taking  life 
easy,  which  has  so  firm  a grip  on  literal  millions  of  the 
Filipino  people.  The  climate  is  unfavorable  to  sustained 
exertion.  It  is  warm.  It  is  continually  warm.  There 
are  no  long,  cold  winters  against  which  both  food  and 
fuel  and  warm  shelter  must  be  provided.  Conditions 
make  life  easy.  The  ever-present  bamboo  and  neepa 
palm  furnish  material  for  the  frail  house  that  shelters 
the  household  from  sun  and  rain.  For  from  ten  to  fifty 
dollars  he  can  build  anything  from  a rude  cottage  to  a 
six-room  house.  The  waters  are  alive  with  edible  crea- 
tures. Fish,  crabs,  prawns,  shrimps,  and  other  food 
products  of  sea  and  river  can  be  had  at  a minimum  of 
effort,  and  at  any  time,  day  or  night,  during  every  year. 
Rice  is  usually  plentiful  and  inexpensive.  A few  days’ 
work  each  month  will  either  give  sufficient  care  to  the 
crops  to  secure  all  the  rice  the  family  can  use,  or  earn 
money  to  buy  it.  To  the  man  so  situated  there  is 
scarcely  any  way  to  make  severe  and  sustained  industry 
attractive.  He  sees  no  call  for  it.  His  needs  are  few. 
Why  he  should  toil  in  the  heat  he  does  not  understand. 
He  prefers  a few  days  of  leisurely  labor,  and  more  days 
to  pet  his  favorite  fighting-cock,  or  frequent  the  cock- 
pit and  bet  his  money  on  the  bloody  battles  of  the  gallcra, 
or  to  sleep  quietly  in  his  own  house. 

This  climatic  effect  upon  habits  of  industry  has  been 
powerfully  re-enforced  by  governmental  and  social  condi- 
tions. Taxes  under  the  Spanish  regime  were  put  up  to 
auction,  and  that  was  the  least  evil  of  the  system.  Col- 
lections were  made  the  occasion  of  a highly-organized 
system  of  “squeeze.”  Each  gobernadorciUo,  or  petty 
governor,  was  furnished  with  a list  of  taxes  paid  under 
his  predecessor.  These  lists  were  seldom  revised.  He 
must  turn  in  as  much  money  as  had  been  received  from 


Social  Order  and  General  Characteristics.  51 

that  village  or  group  of  villages  in  previous  years,  or 
make  good  the  deficit  out  of  his  own  estate.  The  favor 
of  high  Manila  authorities  was  shown  freely  to  such 
officials  as  made  the  largest  gains  in  tax  receipts.  W'hat 
these  gains  meant  to  the  people  was  a kind  and  degree 
of  oppression  such  as  we  can  but  dimly  understand. 

And  when  to  these  extortionate  methods  of  tax- 
gathering were  added  the  petty  exactions  of  the  old 
police,  or  Guardia  Civil,  demanding  fowls,  eggs,  milk 
and  goats  from  poor  villagers,  and  sneering  at  any  sug- 
gestion of  remuneration,  it  begins  to  be  apparent  that 
he  was  happiest  who  had  the  least  of  this  world’s  goods. 
And  when  to  all  this  burden  were  added  the  depredations 
of  thieves,  or  “ladrones,”  with  whom  the  police  were 
openly  confederate,  and  ceaseless  demands  for  money 
from  friar  and  priest  for  baptism,  marriages,  funerals, 
masses,  and  shrivings.  it  is  quite  clear  that  the  Filipino 
had  little  prospect  of  enjoying  the  fruit  of  his  toil,  and 
may  have  easily  come  to  the  conclusion  that  lie  would 
toil  just  enough  to  sustain  life  and  keep  a sheiter  over 
his  head.  With  fixed  taxes  of  a reasonable  amount, 
collected  once  only ; with  police  protection  against 
ladrones,  and  priests  shorn  of  power  to  monopolize  all 
churchly  functions ; with  good  roads,  railways,  and  bet- 
ter methods  of  tilling  the  soil, — there  is  good  reason  to 
believe  that  this  admitted  defect  in  the  average  Filipino 
character  will  gradually  pass  away. 

As  to  other  indictments — ingratitude,  cruelty  and  the 
like — they  are  not  so  serious,  nor  so  readily  proven.  In- 
difference to  the  infliction  of  pain  does  appear  to  be  a 
charge  that  can  be  truthfully  lodged  against  nearly  all 
inhabitants  of  the  East.  It  is  true  of  the  native  of  India, 
and  in  a degree  is  true  also  of  the  Chinese.  But  a cam- 
paign of  education  has  never  been  carried  on  against 


52 


The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 


cruelty  to  dumb  animals.  The  people  have  never  been 
allowed  to  have  the  Bible,  with  its  lessons  of  love  and 
tenderness  toward  all  creatures  that  God  has  made.  The 
people  who  were  their  examples  were  the  people  who 
founded  and  maintained  the  Inquisition  with  all  its  bloody 
and  fiendish  cruelties  visited  upon  men  and  women,  and 
that  in  the  name  of  the  compassionate  Christ ! 

The  passion  for  gambling  is  a serious  fault  in  the 
Filipino  character.  After  two  years  in  the  Islands  I 
am  convinced  that  gambling  is  the  worst  vice  of  the 
country.  The  natives  do  not  drink  to  excess.  But  as 
a people  they  are  victims  to  this  baleful  habit.  I have 
known  men  to  pay  two  hundred  per  cent  interest  for 
money  with  which  to  back  a favorite  game-cock.  They 
will  stake  their  last  bit  of  property,  and  even  wager  their 
children  or  their  wives,  so  mad  is  their  infatuation.  Our 
cook  does  not  own  a single  garment  that  he  is  wearing. 
He  has  wagered  his  very  garments  on  cock-fights,  while 
his  family  suffers  for  food.  The  habit  bears  the  worst 
possible  economic  fruit.  Hoping  for  the  easy  gains  of 
the  card  game  or  the  cock-pit,  idleness  loses  its  blame- 
worthiness. Debts  piled  high  by  reverses  in  the  gallcra 
or  with  the  fascination  of  panginga  or  monte  cards, 
bring  the  gambler  into  a bondage  from  which  he  sees 
no  escape  except  by  again  wooing  the  fickle  fates  of 
games  of  chance.  Aguinaldo  shut  every  cock-pit,  and 
as  nearly  as  possible  stopped  all  gambling,  while  he  was 
at  the  head  of  the  Insurrection  government,  and  he  is 
now  issuing  pamphlets  to  his  people  begging  them  to 
abandon  the  evil  practice.  The  former  captain-general 
of  the  Insurrection  says : 

“Again  I must  caution  you  against  gambling  of  all 
kinds.  Happy  will  be  the  day  when  our  provincial  gov- 
ernors and  municipal  presidentes  take  steps  to  stamp  out 


Social  Order  and  General  Characteristics.  53 

this  evil,  even  though  it  does  contribute  considerable  to 
the  different  treasuries.  Nobody  denies  that  the  cock-pit 
as  well  as  the  pack  of  cards  is  one  of  the  greatest  evils 
menacing  these  islands.  How  many  gamblers  and  others 
subject  to  this  evil  suffer  ruin ! They  do  not  hesitate  to  do 
anything  when  the  fever  controls  them.  They  mortgage 
their  property ; then  even  sell  their  children,  and  some- 
times their  wives,  and  commit  other  acts  of  greater  dis- 
honor as  a result  of  their  greed  of  gain  waged  on  the  green 
board.  As  a result  they  become  ladrones.  Many  have 
to  flee  from  justice,  and  become  worse  than  common 
criminals,  and  stoop  so  low  as  to  murder  helpless  coun- 
trymen for  the  sake  of  a few  pesos  with  which  to  gam- 
ble. In  a word,  the  cards  and  the  cock-pit  are  our  ruin. 
More  death  penalties  can  be  traced  to  this  curse  than  any 
other  source.  Shall  we  abandon  this  weakness  and  enjoy 
prosperity,  or  continue  and  forever  lie  in  misery?” 

Favorable  characteristics  are  many.  The  Filipino 
people  are  polite.  It  is  innate.  Not  Persians  nor 
Japanese  have  more  instinctive  graciousness.  Some  one 
has  said, 

“ Politeness  is  to  do  and  say, 

The  kindest  thing  in  the  kindest  way;” 

and  by  this  definition  the  population  of  these  Islands 
rank  high  among  the  people  of  the  earth.  This  charm 
of  manner,  this  suave  self-effacement  in  public  places, 
is  in  marked  contrast  with  the  self-assertiveness  seen 
among  our  own  people.  After  a year  or  so  in  the  Phil- 
ippines, the  manners,  or  lack  of  them,  on  our  street  cars 
and  in  places  of  public  resort  strike  one  as  rude  and 
boorish  in  the  extreme. 

Hospitality  is  a strong  point  in  the  native  character. 
There  is  not  a hotel  in  the  Philippines  that  caters  to  the 
Filipino  trade.  Manila,  with  well  toward  three  hundred 
thousand  people,  has  no  such  a hostelry.  It  is  not 


54 


The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 


needed.  Every  one  who  comes  to  the  city  stops  with 
“parientes”  or  relatives ; with  “amigos,”  or  friends. 
Nothing  else  is  thought  of  as  a possibility.  In  all  my 
trips  into  the  provinces  I have  shared  in  a hospitality 
which  spared  nothing  from  basket  or  store  or  garden 
or  house  accommodations  in  the  effort  to  make  me  feel 
perfectly  welcome  to  all  that  the  homes  afforded. 

Loyalty  to  family  ties  is  another  praiseworthy  char- 
acteristic of- the  Filipino  that  is  well-nigh  universal. 
There  are  no  poorliouses  in  these  Islands.  None  are 
needed.  Every  poor  person  is  a relative  of  some  one. 
Somewhere  in  the  circle  of  relationship  every  dependent 
person  is  made  welcome  to  a share  of  such  provision  as 
can  be  supplied,  and  to  a corner  in  the  house,  no  matter 
how  crowded,  and  in  all  this  there  is  no  making  of  wry 
faces  as  though  it  were  a hardship.  It  is  recognized  as 
a duty  that  prosperous  relatives  owe  to  their  own  kin 
who  have  not  succeeded  so  well  in  the  battle  for  home 
and  bread,  and  even  to  drones  in  the  family  hive. 

Capacity  for  culture  is  abundantly  proven  to  belong 
to  all  branches  of  the  population.  While  their  gifts 
show  to  better  advantage  in  studies  in  which  memory 
and  imitation  are  called  into  play,  yet  proofs  are  not 
wanting  that  in  the  sciences  and  professions  they  can 
take  high  rank.  The  Civil  Commission  has  this  to  say 
of  the  educated  classes : 

“The  educated  Filipinos,  though  constituting  a minor- 
ity, are  far  more  numerous  than  is  generally  supposed, 
and  are  scattered  all  over  the  Archipelago;  and  the  Com- 
mission desire  to  bear  the  strongest  testimony  to  the 
high  range  of  their  intelligence,  and  not  only  to  their 
intellectual  training,  but  also  to  their  social  refinement, 
as  well  as  the  grace  and  charm  of  their  personal  charac- 
ter. These  educated  Filipinos,  in  a word,  are  the  equals 


Social  Order  and  General  Characteristics.  55 


of  the  men  one  meets  in  similar  vocations — law,  medicine, 
business,  etc. — in  Europe  or  America.” 

Graduates  of  the  university  have  naturally  betaken 
themselves  to  the  only  careers  open  to  them  under  the 
political  conditions  in  which  they  were  to  live ; viz.,  law, 
medicine,  and  the  Church.  Among  the  lawyers,  Pro- 
fessor Semper  remarked  thirty  years  ago,  were  to  be 
found  advocates  worthy  to  be  compared  with  the  best 
in  Spain.  But  on  account  of  the  anti-modern  spirit 
which  prevailed  at  the  university  up  to  a recent  period, 
and  the  repression  of  free  intellectual  activity  in  the 
Islands,  there  was  neither  opportunity  nor  inducement 
for  ambition  to  undertake  studies  in  the  scientific,  social, 
and  political  subjects  which  have  been  fashionable  in 
Europe,  but  which  might  have  had  dangerous  conse- 
quences in  the  Philippines.  Nevertheless  the  influence 
of  literary  and  professional  Filipinos  who  had  been  edu- 
cated at  Mamla  and  in  Europe  was  very  marked  in  recent 
political  history  of  the  Islands. 

All  competent  observers  have  remarked  that  the  Fili- 
pinos have  a natural  aptitude  for  instruction,  the  chil- 
dren being  mentally  quick.  Many  Tagalogs  can  speak 
several  languages,  and  the  English  used  by  representa- 
tive Filipinos  in  the  United  States  is  noticeable  for  its 
idiomatic  excellence.  Their  capacity  for  one  branch  of 
elementary  culture  is  shown  by  the  fact  that  they  knew 
how  to  read  and  write,  with  alphabets  of  their  own,  when 
they  were  first  discovered  by  Europeans. 

“Filipinos  have  filled  chairs  of  chemistry,  botany,  med- 
icine, and  pharmacy  at  the  university.  The  draftsmanship 
of  the  atlas  of  the  Philippines,  recently  published  by  the 
United  States  Coast  and  Geodetic  Survey,  was  the  work 
of  Filipino  draftsmen  under  the  direction  of  P.  Jose 


56  The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 

Algue,  S.  J.,  the  director  of  the  observatory.  Although  the 
geological  and  other  scientific  works  are  not  available  for 
examination,  it  is  easy  to  judge  by  their  titles  what  they 
doubtless  are.  All  such  works  are  pretty  much  the  same 
everywhere.  They  are  mostly  mechanical  repetitions  of 
observations  and  discussions  in  imitation  of  models  set 
at  the  European  centers  of  study.  From  testimony  be- 
fore the  United  States  Philippine  Commission,  given  by 
the  Jesuit  fathers,  we  infer  that  the  Filipinos  take  kindly 
to  scientific  studies.  In  ethnology,  Filipinos  have  pub- 
lished articles  and  works  upon  the  history,  religion,  and 
customs  of  the  Filipinos,  and  early  alphabets,  besides 
essays  on  the  modern  political  situation  and  Spanish  leg- 
islation. Pardo  Paterno,  who  was  prominent  in  the  in- 
surrection of  1896,  wrote  a history  of  the  pre-Spanish 
civilization  of  the  Filipinos,  and  another  work  upon  the 
social  influence  of  Christianity.  Of  Filipino  literary  men, 
the  best  known  was  the  unfortunate  Dr.  Rizal,  whose 
reputation  as  a physician  and  man  of  science  has  been 
eclipsed  by  his  literary  renown,  and  still  more  by  his 
tragic  fate.  His  writings,  and  especially  his  novel,  ‘Noli 
me  Tangere,’  which  was  first  published  in  Germany  (with 
a motto  from  Schiller),  rendered  him  obnoxious  to  the 
authorities,  and  he  was  the  most  illustrious  of  the  hun- 
dreds of  victims  who  were  executed  at  Manila  for  com- 
plicity in  the  insurrection  of  1896.”* 

The  result  of  three  years’  work  in  the  newly-estab- 
lished American  schools  demonstrate  the  capacity  of  the 
Filipino  mind  for  receiving  culture.  With  liberty  of 
speech  and  research,  and  the  utmost  encouragement 
which  any  government  can  give  the  youth  of  a country, 
there  is  a bright  prospect  before  the  people  of  this  group 
of  Eastern  Islands. 

Filipinos  are  very  fond  of  music.  Nearly  every 
home  has  some  instrument,  and  some  member  of  the 
family  can  play  it.  Harps,  horns,  violins,  and  pianos 

i9  Report  of  the  Commissioner  of  Education,  1899-1900. 


Social  Order  and  General  Characteristics.  57 


are  the  most  common.  Several  large  firms  in  Manila 
handle  all  kinds  of  musical  instruments,  selling  almost 
exclusively  to  Filipino  customers.  Piano  and  harp  are 
always  taught  in  girls’  schools  carried  on  by  the  sisters. 
Every  city  has  its  band.  Some  of  the  performances  of 
Filipino  orchestras  and  bands  are  equal  to  anything  one 
hears  in  America  or  Europe.  The  famous  Constabulary 
Band  of  Manila,  made  up  exclusively  of  Filipinos,  and 
led  by  an  American  Negro,  goes  to  the  World’s  Fair 
at  St.  Louis  in  1904.  It  will  be  a treat  for  even  crit- 
ical Americans  to  hear  them  render  the  best  music  that 
has  ever  been  written.  Performers  do  wonders,  repro- 
ducing melodies  heard  but  once  or  twice.  At  one  of  our 
services  an  orchestra  offered  their  help  with  the  music. 
Unfortunately  our  hymn-book  contained  words  only. 
The  minister  in  charge  played  the  air  on  a cornet  before 
each  hymn  was  sung,  and  the  entire  orchestra  imme- 
diately reproduced  them,  with  time  and  harmony  so 
nearly  perfect  as  to  leave  us  fairly  bewildered  at  the 
apparent  ease  with  which  it  was  done. 

They  are  also  devoted  to  such  amusements  as  are 
provided  by  the  theater.  Plays  with  the  most  inter- 
minable plots,  and  requiring  several  days  for  their  pro- 
duction, are  staged  in  remote  provincial  cities,  and  mul- 
titudes sit  spell-bound  by  the  hour  as  they  follow  the 
movements  of  gaudily-dressed  warriors  doing  heroic 
battle  with  pasteboard  dragons  to  rescue  fair  heroines 
from  disaster.  M.  Montano,  a French  investigator,  tells 
of  a play  which  he  witnessed  on  the  east  coast  of  Luzon 
in  1880.  It  required  a month  of  hard  training  to  pre- 
pare the  village  young  people  who  took  part  in  it.  It 
was  rendered  on  the  occasion  of  the  election  of  a gobcr- 
nadorcillo,  or  petty  governor.  A beautiful  princess  was 
lost  in  a desert.  She  was  in  sore  peril  from  wild  beasts 


58 


The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 


(of  pasteboard)  and  a magician  shepherd  who  pressed 
his  love  upon  her.  After  songs,  endless  dialogues  and 
marvellous  feats  of  arms,  the  finale  was  as  follows: 

The  princess  had  resisted  the  magician  shepherd  in 
spite  of  his  threats,  and  had  subdued  the  monsters  to 
her  will.  Now  appeared  on  the  scene  the  valiant  Prince 
of  Tuscany,  who  alone  of  all  the  searchers  had  been 
able  to  find  the  missing  princess  in  the  desert,  with  whom 
he  is  desperately  in  love.  The  prince,  however,  has  one 
capital  fault  which  would  forever  prevent  his  marriage 
with  the  princess.  He  is  a Moro — that  is  to  say,  an 
infidel — while  the  princess  is  a fervent  Catholic,  and 
feels  in  duty  bound  to  conceal  from  him  the  sentiments 
with  which  his  splendid  appearance  and  valor  has  in- 
spired her.  The  prince  presses  his  suit,  and  falls  upon 
his  knees  before  the  princess,  who  is  half  won,  hut  still 
restrains  herself  sufficiently  to  say  that  perhaps  she  might 
have  listened  to  the  seductive  words  of  her  wooer  were 
it  not  for  his  wicked  religion,  which  he  must  renounce 
if  he  expects  to  receive  any  kindness  from  her.  At  this 
point,  says  M.  Montano,  the  audience,  completely 
rapt  by  the  play,  held  its  breath  in  order  not  to  lose 
a syllable  of  the  dialogue,  and  manifested  its  enthusiasm 
by  following  the  words  of  the  actors  with  low-cadenced 
whistles.  The  Bicol  author  knew,  that  for  his  audience, 
non-Catholic  and  enemy  are  synonymous  terms,  and 
hence  the  intensity  of  feeling  at  the  wooing  of  a Chris- 
tian by  an  infidel.  The  play  ended  by  the  conversion  of 
the  Prince  of  Tuscany  and  his  marriage  to  the  princess. 

While  the  characters  in  this  play  arc  European,  the 
ideas  of  princes,  embassies,  magic,  Christian,  and  infidel 
seemed  to  be  familiar  or  congenial  to  the  native  customs 
and  temperament. 

With  all  their  limitations,  Filipinos  are  two  centuries 


Social  Order  and  General  Characteristics.  59 


nearer  the  goal  of  human  progress  than  any  of  their 
Malay  cousins,  and  when  the  new  forces  of  education, 
religion,  and  a government  of  fairness  and  freedom  have 
all  done  their  work,  we  may  expect  the  many  to  attain 
to  those  levels  now  occupied  by  the  few,  and  their  own 
achievements  in  the  arts,  in  literature,  in  the  professions, 
and  in  political  leadership  will  stop  the  mouths  of  their 
critics. 


MANILA  BOTANICAL  GARDENS. 


CHAPTER  IV. 


Historical  Summary. 

The  Philippines  were  discovered  by  Magellan,  the 
man  who  did  what  Columbus  failed  to  accomplish. 
Columbus  set  out  to  find  a passage-way  to  the  East  Indies 
by  sailing  westward.  He  discovered  the  Western  Con- 
tinent, and  with  its  discovery  earned  a title  to  lasting 
fame.  Nevertheless  he  failed  to  find  the  East  by  sailing 
West,  which  was  what  he  set  out  to  do. 

His  discovery  stirred  the  world  of  navigation  pro- 
foundly. A Portuguese  nobleman  by  the  name  of  Fer- 
nando Magalhaens,  who  had  achieved  distinction  as  a 
soldier  and  navigator,  but  had  foresworn  his  native 
country  because  of  ill-treatment  received  in  a military 
expedition  in  Africa  and  because  bis  own  king  would 
not  aid  him  in  his  ambitious  plans  for  discovery,  offered 
his  services  to  King  Charles  the  Fifth  of  Spain.  The 
king  entered  into  an  agreement  to  furnish  Magalhaens 
(Magellan)  with  five  ships  of  from  sixty  to  one  hundred 
and  thirty  tons  each,  fit  them  out  with  supplies,  arms, 
and  a crew  of  two  hundred  and  thirty-four  men.  Ma- 
gellan was  to  spend  ten  years,  if  necessary,  in  finding 
spice  islands  in  the  south  of  that  ocean  seen  first  by 
Balboa  at  Panama.  He  was  so  sure  of  success  that  he 
vowed  that  if  he  failed  King  Charles  might  strike  off  his 
head.  If  he  succeeded,  his  male  heirs  and  their  heirs 
after  them  were  to  govern  such  islands  as  he  annexed 
to  Spain,  under  the  authority  of  the  crown  of  Castile. 

60 


Historical  Summary. 


6r 


He  was  to  give  the  king  one  thousand  ducats  as  royal 
dues  if  he  discovered  and  annexed  six  or  more  islands, 
and  one-fifth  of  all  profits  if  less  than  six  islands  were 
added  to  the  territory  of  Spain. 


A FILIPINO  BELLE. 

August  10,  1519.  the  little  fleet  sailed  from  Seville. 
After  mutinies  and  delays  bv  storms  and  by  the  rigors 
of  a Patagonian  winter,  the  little  fleet  entered  the  straits 
which  have  borne  the  name  of  the  intrepid  Magellan 


62 


The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 


from  that  day,  on  the  28th  of  October,  1520,  emerging 
into  the  vast  Pacific,  November  26th.  After  this,  even 
the  jealous  captains  recognized  the  greatness  of  their 
leader,  and  were  enthusiastic  in  their  support.  The 
Philippine  Islands  were  sighted  in  April,  1521,  and 
named  San  Lazaro  Islands  by  Magellan.  Soon  after 
this,  Magellan  was  killed  in  a petty  war  in  which  he 
had  engaged  to  aid  the  king  of  Cebu.  His  death  at  that 
time  was  doubly  unfortunate.  It  deprived  the  expedi- 
tion of  its  one  masterful  mind,  and  thus  prevented  that 
full  exploration  and  occupation  of  the  various  islands 
of  the  Archipelago  which  King  Charles  and  Magellan 
had  provided  for.  Only  one  of  the  ships  returned  to 
Spain.  The  little  Victoria,  commanded  by  one  of  the 
bravest  and  most  intelligent  of  Magellan’s  captains,  Se- 
bastian del  Cano,  entered  the  harbor  from  which  they 
sailed,  on  September  8,  1522 — the  first  ship  that  ever 
sailed  around  the  world ! 

No  serious  attempt  was  made  to  conquer  and  colonize 
the  Islands  until  1564.  King  Philip  had  come  to  the 
throne  of  Spain  in  1555.  and  he  immediately  set  about 
their  conquest.  His  motives  were  chiefly  religious. 

Pie  chose  Don  Miguel  Lopez  de  Legaspi  as  captain- 
general  of  the  expedition,  and  a friar  of  the  Order  of 
St.  Augustine,  Andres  de  Urdaneta,  as  spiritual  direc- 
tor. With  the  latter  were  six  friars  of  the  same  order, 
the  first  to  enter  the  Philippine  Islands.  Legaspi  and 
PTdaneta  had  both  lived  in  Mexico  for  some  time  and 
were  close  friends.  Both  were  men  of  integrity  and 
ability  and  the  Philippines  feel  the  impress  of  their  work 
to  this  day. 

It  should  be  remembered  that  the  first  expedition  for 
the  occupation  of  the  Philippines  sailed  from  North 
America.  It  sailed  away  from  Natividad,  Mexico,  No- 


MONUMENT  TO  LEGASPI  AND  URDANETA,  MANILA. 
SEA  IN  BACKGROUND. 


03 


Historical  Summary. 


65 


vember  21,  1564.  The  four  hundred  men  who  went 
with  Legaspi  and  Urdaneta  had  no  other  purpose  than 
to  spend  their  lives  in  the  Philippines  in  the  interest  of 
the  crown  of  Spain  or  of  the  Church. 

Legaspi  conquered  Cebu,  and,  by  firmness  tempered 
with  great  kindness,  convinced  the  islanders  that  he 
could  rule,  and  that  he  meant  to  rule  justly.  Portugal 
now  gave  him  much  trouble.  Pope  Alexander  VI  had 
made  an  absurd  attempt  to  divide  the  earth  between  the 
rival  powers,  Spain  and  Portugal,  by  fixing  upon  the 
meridian  on  which  the  Cape  Verde  Islands  are  situated 
as  the  boundary-line.  All  non-Christian  lands  east  of 
that  meridian  should  be  exploited  commercially  and 
religiously  by  Portugal,  and  all  similar  countries  west 
of  that  meridian  were  to  be  ruled  and  exploited  by  Spain. 
By  this  division  the  Philippines  fell  into  Portuguese 
territory.  But  Spain  had  discovered  them,  and  Legaspi 
had  no  intention  of  permitting  this  right  of  discovery 
and  prior  occupation  to  be  set  aside  by  any  papal  order. 
He  fought  ofif  the  fleet  sent  bv  Portugal  to  attack  him 
in  Cebu,  and  did  it  with  such  vigor  that  the  attempt 
was  abandoned. 

Legaspi  wisely  left  native  chiefs  in  power,  letting 
them  continue  to  rule  in  the  name  of  the  King  of  Spain. 
In  1571  he  removed  the  capital  of  the  new  government 
to  “Maynila,”  a city  on  the  island  of  Luzon,  which  his 
nephew,  Juan  Salcedo,  had  captured  from  its  Moham- 
medan ruler.* 


-From  an  ancient  document  the  following  account  of  the 
capture  of  Manila  has  been  taken : 

“ In  the  island,  called  by  the  natives  ‘ Luzon  the  Greater,’  in  a 
town  and  river  of  the  same  called  Manila,  on  the  sixth  of  June  in 
the  year  1570,  the  Hon.  Martin  de  Goiti,  His  Majesty’s  Master  of 
Camp  in  these  Western  Islands,  declared  before  me,  Hernando 

5 


66 


The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 


This  city  was  made  the  seat  of  an  archbishopric,  and 
Friar  Salazar  named  as  the  first  archbishop.  On  August 
20,  1572,  Legaspi  died  from  overwork  and  the  effects 
of  the  climate.  He  was  buried  in  the  St.  Augustine 
Chapel  of  San  Fausto,  in  Manila.  At  the  time  of  his 
death,  it  might  be  said  that  the  work  he  came  to  do  had 
been  accomplished.  The  Philippine  Islands  were  con- 
quered, and  its  principal  native  rulers  were  carrying  on 
their  simple  governments  in  the  name  of  the  King  of 
Spain.  It  was  not  the  purpose  of  Legaspi  to  interfere 
in  the  political,  commercial,  or  industrial  conditions  of 
the  conquered  territory.  His  idea  was  that  of  the  average 
Spanish  colonizer — to  secure  the  largest  possible  terri- 

Riquel,  Chief  Gov't.  Notary,  and  in  the  presence  of  the  under- 
signed witnesses,  that  inasmuch  as  a tiling  well  and  generally 
known,  His  Excellency  being  in  this  river  of  Manila  with  the  men 
and  ships  accompanying  him,  and  having  made  peace  and  drawn 
his  blood  with  two  chiefs  styling  themselves  kings  of  said  town 
(by  name  Soliman  and  Raxa  respectively),  and  without  giving  them 
cause  or  treating  them  in  a manner  that  would  make  the  said  na- 
tives change  their  attitude,  the  above  chiefs  began  war  treacher- 
ously and  unexpectedly  without  advising  him  beforehand,  and 
wounded  and  seized  certain  Indians  accompanying  us.  After  that 
they  discharged  the  artillery  in  their  fort,  two  balls  from  which 
struck  the  ship  San  Miguel , on  board  of  which  was  the  said  Master 
of  Camp.  lie,  in  order  to  guard  himself  from  the  injury  which 
the  said  Moros  were  doing  in  starting  the  war,  and  to  prevent  their 
artillery  from  harming  his  men,  attacked  the  said  fort  of  the  Mo- 
ros, and  captured  it  by  force  of  arms,  and  is  now  in  possession  of 
it.  And,  inasmuch  as  the  said  fort  and  town  of  Manila  have  been 
won  in  lawful  and  just  war,  and  since,  according  to  the  said  na- 
tives, Manila  is  the  capital  of  all  the  towns  of  this  said  Island : 
therefore,  in  Ilis  Majesty’s  name,  he  was  occupying  and  did  occupy, 
was  taking  and  did  take  royal  ownership  and  possession,  actual 
and  quasi,  of  this  said  Island  of  Luzon  and  of  all  the  other  ports, 
towns,  and  territories  adjoining  and  belonging  to  this  said  island.” 
(Follow  formalities  of  the  Notary.) 


Historical  Sum mary. 


67 


torial  possessions  for  liis  royal  master — leaving-  their 
political  conditions  and  their  industries  to  take  care  of 
themselves. 

The  infant  colony  was  soon  confronted  with  peril 
from  the  north.  A Chinese  buccaneer  named  Lee-ma- 
hong,  being  hard  pressed  by  imperial  ships,  conceived 
the  idea  of  capturing  the  Philippines  and  building  up  a 
government  there.  He  was  a man  of  great  native  ability, 
a born  ruler  of  wild  and  lawless  men.  By  extraordinary 
exertions  he  got  together  a fleet  of  sixty-two  armed 
junks,  having  two  thousand  sailors  and  a number  of 
mechanics  to  build  the  cities  he  expected  to  found.  He 
sailed  into  Manila  Bay  November  29,  1574.  and  imme- 
diately gave  battle.  The  Spanish  soldiery  finally 
triumphed,  driving  Lee-ma-hong  from  the  bay,  but  it 
was  at  fearful  cost.  That  pirate  captain  and  his  chief 
helper,  Sioco,  cut  down  hundreds  of  the  best  troops  the 
small  colony  could  muster.  Some  hundreds  of  the 

Chinese  were  deserted  by  the  ships,  and  took  refuge  in 
the  mountains.  It  is  commonly  believed  that  the  race  of 
Igorrotes  still  show  the  admixture  of  blood  from  this 
defeated  and  abandoned  contingent  of  Lee-ma-hong’s 
army  of  invasion. 

Friars  made  all  possible  capital  for  the  Church  out 
of  the  victory  over  the  Chinese.  They  boldly  declared 
that  St.  Andrew  appeared  on  the  field  of  battle  and  gave 
them  victory.  “This  saint  was  declared  thenceforth  to 
be  the  patron  saint  of  Manila,  and  in  his  honor  high 
mass  is  celebrated  in  the  cathedral  at  8 A.  M.  on  the  30th 
of  each  November.”  It  was  a public  holiday  and  gala- 
day  until  the  end  of  Spanish  supremacy,  and  all  the  high 
officials,  military  and  civil,  as  well  as  religious,  attended 
the  ceremonies,  though  it  is  doubtful  if  one  in  twenty 
could  have  told  what  event  the  day  was  supposed  to 


68 


The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 


commemorate.  It  was  the  custom  on  that  day,  after 
hearing  mass,  for  the  religious  authorities  to  show  their 
superiority  over  both  military  and  civil  power  by  spread- 
ing the  flag  of  Spain  on  the  floor  of  the  cathedral,  and 
having  the  metropolitan  archbishop  walk  over  it  in  the 
presence  of  all  officials  of  the  State. 

Many  years  are  filled  in  with  petty  squabbles  between 
the  authorities  of  the  State  and  those  of  the  Church, 
while  the  welfare  of  the  poor  people  was  completely  lost 
sight  of,  unless  a restless  eagerness  to  see  them  all  ac- 
cept baptism  should  be  considered  to  manifest  an  inter- 
est in  their  welfare.  A Supreme  Court  was  set  up  in 
Manila  having  authority  to  govern  the  colony  in  case 
the  governor-general  died,  or  during  his  absence.  This 
court  was  modeled  on  the  one  provided  for  Mexico,  but 
was  not  as  well  adapted  to  conditions  in  the  Philippines 
as  it  should  have  been,  and  its  members  were  engaged 
nearly  all  the  time  in  disputes  more  or  less  serious  about 
prerogatives,  the  parties  to  each  quarrel  including  the 
heads  of  the  Church,  whoever  else  was  left  out.  Spain 
had  a “Philippine  Question”  then.  Priests  passed  back 
and  forth  from  Manila  to  Spain  to  pour  their  grievances 
into  the  ears  of  royalty,  and  secure  papal  support  for 
their  plans.  One  friar,  named  Sanchez,  was  notably 
successful,  and  secured  from  King  Philip  and  the  pope 
many  needed  reforms  in  the  government,  as  well  as  some 
substantial  rewards  for  himself.  Among  these  reforms 
were  a royal  order  (i)  to  set  all  slaves  at  liberty;  (2) 
to  cease  selling  the  offices  of  secretary  and  notary  to  the 
highest  bidder,  but  to  demand  education  and  good  char- 
acter in  these  important  offices;  (3)  to  forbid  governors 
granting  lands  to  relations,  servants,  or  friends  without 
three  years  bona  fide  residence  on  the  lands,  and  proofs 
of  actual  cultivation ; (4)  to  cease  dilatory  methods  of 


CATHEDRAL,  MANILA. 


Historical  Sum  mary. 


7i 


administering  justice;  (5)  to  fortify  Manila;  (6)  to 
set  aside  12,000  ducats  for  building  and  adorning  the 
cathedral.  Sanchez  returned  from  Rome  to  Spain  laden 
with  ecclesiastical  spoil  for  his  Philippine  cathedral. 
Among  these  precious  gifts  of  the  pope  were  the  body 
of  St.  Polycarp,  relies  of  St.  Potenciana  and  of  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty-seven  different  saints  and  martyrs;  among 
these  were  more  or  less  complete  skeletons  of  twenty- 
seven  popes,  all  these  for  transmission  to  the  cathedral 
of  Manila  for  the  instruction  of  the  heathen ! Sanchez 
died  before  the  ship  sailed  which  was  to  have  brought 
him  back  to  the  Philippines. 

Philip  abolished  the  Supreme  Court  at  this  time;  but 
it  was  re-established  in  1598,  and  remained  until  Amer- 
ican supremacy  brought  its  work  to  an  abrupt  end. 
Eight  times  during  the  period  of  Spanish  occupation  this 
court  had  to  take  the  responsibility  of  government.  In 
the  main,  its  great  power  was  used  with  restraint  and 
for  the  promotion  of  the  ends  of  justice  and  good  gov- 
ernment. 

Japan  came  into  conflict  with  the  colony  a little  later 
on  because  of  the  bad  faith  of  friars,  who  went  there 
in  the  guise  of  ambassadors  from  the  Philippine  gov- 
ernment, and  persisted  in  violating  their  promises  and 
the  emperor’s  orders  by  remaining  to  carry  on  their 
propaganda  among  the  Japanese.  The  emperor  bore 
with  it  for  some  years ; but  at  last,  believing  that  the 
friars  were  but  spies  and  advance  agents  of  the  Spanish 
government,  he  ordered  them  all  to  leave  the  country. 
They  refused  to  go.  This  convinced  him  that  his  theory 
was  the  true  one — that  they  were  merely  waiting  for 
their  government  to  come  and  rescue  them  and  attempt 
to  capture  the  country  in  punishment  for  oppressing  their 
agents — and  he  ordered  a general  massacre  of  friars  and 


72  The  Philippines  and  the  Ear  Ease 

converts.  Twenty-six  were  taken,  and,  after  trial  for 
violation  of  the  express  orders  of  the  emperor,  had  their 
noses  and  ears  cut  off,  and  were  publicly  displayed  in 
a rude  cart  from  town  to  town,  the  trip  ending  at  Na- 
gasaki. Each  carried  a breast-board  containing  a state- 
ment of  his  offense,  and  the  reasons  why  the  death  sen- 
tence had  been  imposed. 

“On  high  ground  near  the  city  and  the  port,  in  front 
of  the  Jesuits’  church,  these  twenty-six  were  crucified 
and  stabbed  to  death  with  lances  in  expiation  of  political 
offenses.  It  was  a sad  fate  for  men  who  conscientiously 
believed  that  they  were  justified  in  violating  the  laws  of 
nations  for  the  propagation  of  their  particular  views. 
But  can  one  complain?  Would  Buddhist  missionaries  in 
Spain  have  met  with  milder  treatment  at  the  hands  of 
the  Inquisitors?”* 

Even  this  did  not  dampen  the  enthusiasm  of  those 
who  were  bent  on  Christianizing  Japan.  All  kinds  of 
deceptions  were  resorted  to  by  friars  to  enter  Japan.  But 
the  effort  was  at  length  abandoned. 

The  Dutch  found  immense  profits  in  trading  and 
colonizing  in  the  Far  East.  They  drove  the  Spaniards 
from  the  Moluccas,  and  pressed  them  hard  in  the  Phil- 
ippines in  the  early  part  of  the  seventeenth  century,  but 
Spanish  fury  in  battle  was  too  much  for  the  more  slow- 
moving  Dutch,  and  the  latter  were  usually  beaten  off. 
The  Dutch  did  not  give  up  the  struggle  until  1763,  and 
many  of  the  intervening  years  they  made  it  very  hard 
for  the  inhabitants  of  the  islands.  They  would  inter- 
cept and  capture  the  yearly  Spanish  galleons  from 
Mexico,  richly  laden  with  treasure  to  pay  merchants  and 
officials  in  the  Philippines.  Sometimes  they  would  cap- 


* Foreman,  pp.  69,  70. 


Historical  Summary. 


73 


ture  every  galleon  for  several  years  in  succession.  Then 
the  hardships  of  the  Filipinos  and  Spaniards  residing  in 
the  islands  were  almost  unbearable.  Strangely  enough, 
Spain  did  not  seem  to  learn  to  send  her  treasure  in  any 
other  way,  or  by  any  other  route.  When  peace  was 
made  between  Holland  and  Spain  about  the  middle  of 
the  eighteenth  century  these  depredations  ceased. 

Late  in  1761  war  was  declared  between  Spain  and 
England,  and  a British  fleet,  under  Admiral  Cornish, 
carrying  a land  force  under  General  Draper,  in  all  6,380 
men,  captured  Manila,  after  a brief  but  bloody  defense. 
The  city  was  officially  given  over  to  indiscriminate  pil- 
lage by  the  English  and  native  Indian  troops.  The 
robbery,  rapine,  and  violence  of  those  two  awful  days 
can  hardly  be  imagined.  After  two  days  of  general 
looting,  the  Spanish  were  compelled  to  pay  $4,000,000 
(silver)  as  an  indemnity.  It  was  impossible  to  raise  it 
all  in  Manila;  so,  after  taking  all  the  silver  they  could 
secure  from  the  churches,  the  British  accepted  orders 
on  the  Spanish  treasury  for  th.e  remaining  $2,000,000. 
These  orders  were  never  pressed  upon  the  Spanish  gov- 
ernment, as  it  was  believed  in  England  that  the  officers 
in  charge  at  Manila  had  secured  all  the  indemnity  that 
it  was  right  to  demand.  The  British  held  Manila  until 
peace  was  declared  between  the  two  nations,  and  then 
sailed  away. 

Four  times  Spanish  officials  sought  to  exterminate 
the  Chinese.  The  first  time  was  about  1603.  In  that 
year  two  richly-dressed  ambassadors  from  the  Emperor 
of  China  arrived  in  Manila.  They  stated  that  their 
master  had  heard  that  there  was  a mountain  of  solid  gold 
near  Cavite  on  the  island  of  Luzon,  and  they  had  been 
sent  to  see  if  this  report  were  true,  and  if  so,  on  what 
terms  the  emperor  could  secure  a share  in  this  massed 


74 


The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 


wealth.  The  Spanish  governor-general  treated  the 
ambassadors  with  profound  respect,  proved  to  them  that 
the  report  was  pure  fiction,  and  sent  them  away  with 
rich  presents.  But  he  and  his  advisers  were  thoroughly 
frightened.  They  believed  that  the  story  about  a moun- 
tain of  gold  was  a polite  invention,  and  that  the  real 
purpose  of  these  ambassadors  was  to  find  out  the  best 
way  to  subdue  the  islands.  The  officials  believed  that 
the  Chinese  in  Manila  were  leagued  with  their  country- 
men to  the  north,  and  would  all  help  the  imaginary 
Chinese  army  of  invasion  when  it  arrived  in  the  bay. 
Consequently,  all  Chinese  were  watched.  Some  were 
arrested  on  empty  suspicions.  The  Chinese  community 
felt  that  mischief  was  intended  against  them,  and  secured 
arms  for  defense.  Relations  became  so  far  strained 
that,  late  in  the  year,  actual  fighting  broke  out  on  the 
north  side  of  the  Pasig  River  in  Manila,  and  in  three 
days  of  horrible  carnage  at  least  twenty-five  thousand 
Chinese  were  either  killed  or  taken  prisoners.  Again 
in  1639,  in  1660,  and  1820,  general  massacres  of  Chinese 
took  place  in  Manila  and  throughout  the  Islands.  In 
all  these  affrays  the  Celestial  gave  a bloody  account  of 
himself,  and  all  survivors  not  only  staid  on,  but  sent 
to  China  for  relatives  to  take  the  places  made  vacant 
by  butchery. 

Insurrections  against  Spanish  rule  have  been  fre- 
quent. At  no  time  could  they  succeed.  At  no  time  were 
they  an  effort  for  independence.  They  were  always  a 
blind,  striking  out  against  glaring  injustice  and  pitiless 
inhumanity  on  the  part  of  their  political  or  religious 
masters.  When  the  United  Colonies  of  America  re- 
volted successfully  and  became  a separate  nation,  lead- 
ing Filipinos  felt  the  blow  “struck  for  freedom.”  In 
1809  the  Supreme  Council  in  Spain  convened  the  famous 


FORTIFIED  GATE  AND  CITY  WALL,  MANILA. 

(Drawbridge  and  chains  can  be  seen  at  outer  gate,  and  coat-of-arms,  over  gate  in  the  wall  proper.) 


Historical  Summary. 


77 


Cortes  de  Cadiz,  in  which  were  assembled  delegates 
from  Cuba,  Venezuela,  and  the  Philippines.  Later,  the 
Act  of  Constitution  of  1S12  was  passed.  Under  the 
provisions  of  this  act  each  of  the  colonies  was  given  the 
right  to  send  one  or  more  representatives  to  the  Cortes. 
In  Manila  the  Act  was  suspended  very  soon  afterwards. 
In  1822-23,  however,  the  Cortes  revived  the  Act,  and 
under  its  provisions  seventeen  representatives  from  the 
Philippines  took  part  in  parliamentary  debates  in  the 
Spanish  Cortes.  Until  1837  Filipino  delegates  sat  as 
members  of  the  Cortes,  with  but  one  or  two  interrup- 
tions. It  was  then  voted  to  exclude  them.  But  the 
deed  had  been  done.  For  a quarter  of  a century  Filipino 
delegates  had  been  recognized  as  members  of  the  chief 
lawmaking  bodv  of  Spain.  They  were  now  back  among 
their  own  people,  and  they  and  those  whom  they  could 
influence  would  never  again  tamely  submit  to  the  cruel 
injustice  and  grinding  oppression  of  the  government  in 
the  Philippines.  They  would  agitate,  and  even  fight, 
not  for  independence,  but  for  justice.  In  1868,  after 
Queen  Isabella  II  was  deposed,  and  during  the  con- 
tinuance of  the  revolutionary  government  with  its  foun- 
dation of  republican  principles,  an  Assembly  was  voted 
for  Filipinos  in  Manila.  Its  members  were  to  be  those 
born  in  the  colony.  They  had  the  power  of  suggesting 
reforms  for  consideration  by  the  home  government.  But 
when  monarchy  again  came  to  its  own,  the  Assembly 
came  to  an  end. 

In  1872,  what  is  known  as  the  Cavite  insurrection 
took  place.  It  arose  in  a dispute  over  the  right  of 
Spanish  friars  to  occupy  positions  as  parish  priests.  By 
the  provisions  of  the  Treaty  of  Trent,  friars  were  for- 
bidden to  act  in  this  capacity.  This  provision  was  de- 
liberately trampled  under  foot  by  the  all  powerful  friars. 


78  The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 

with  the  result  that  the  native  clergy  were  kept  in  a 
state  of  constant  subordination  to  the  friar.  The  rising1 
which  followed  this  agitation  was  planned,  as  the  people 
believe,  by  the  friars.  Only  a few  of  their  agents  com- 
mitted acts  of  violence,  and  they  were  all  cleared.  With 
a deliberate  cruelty,  as  pitiless  as  it  was  needless,  the 
government  not  only  executed  the  ringleaders  in  the 
insurrection,  but  publicly  put  to  death  three  of  the  purest 
and  most  learned  of  the  native  clergy  for  having  dared 
to  insist  on  the  observance  of  the  provisions  of  the 
Treaty  of  Trent.  These  native  priests,  who  were  shot 
in  order  to  dismay  all  future  critics  of  friar  usurpations, 
were  Fathers  Burgos,  Gomez,  and  Zamora. 

These  executions  made  the  natives  desperate.  They 
saw  no  hope  but  in  slavish  submission.  Since  the  open- 
ing of  the  Suez  Canal  and  the  laying  of  the  submarine 
cable  had  made  all  the  world  their  neighbors,  this  was 
no  longer  tolerable.  It  was  better  to  die  fighting  than 
to  be  treated  worse  than  dumb  beasts.  Rising  followed 
rising  until  Admiral  Dewey  sunk  the  Spanish  fleet  in 
1898.  and  that  chapter  of  Philippine  history  began  to 
be  written  in  which,  as  Americans,  we  are  so  profoundly 
interested  because  so  immediately  responsible. 


CHAPTER  V. 


The  Friars. 

No  real  progress  can  be  made  toward  a true  under- 
standing of  the  relation  of  the  friars  to  the  inhabitants 
and  institutions  of  the  Philippines  until  we  get  clearly 
before  us  the  character  of  the  work  Spain  essayed  to 
do,  and  the  nature  of  the  men  with  whom  she  sought  to 
accomplish  that  work. 

As  in  all  her  colonies,  so  here,  the  real  work  Spain 
sought  to  do  was  that  of  Christianizing  the  natives.  Her 
officials  might  rob  them  and  ill-treat  them,  and  mer- 
chants and  miners  entering  the  colony  to  exploit  its 
possibilities  might  be  guilty  of  gross  immorality  and 
cruelty ; but  so  far  as  the  intentions  of  early  Spanish 
kings  and  lawmakers  were  concerned,  it  was  upon  re- 
ligion that  stress  was  to  be  placed  in  all  colonial  admin- 
istration. We  shall  fail  completely  to  grasp  the  sig- 
nificance of  all  the  most  important  facts  of  Philippine 
history  if  this  is  lost  sight  of. 

“In  examining  the  political  administration  of  the  Phi! 
ippines,  then,  we  must  be  prepared  to  find  it  a kind  of 
outer  garment,  under  which  the  living  body  is  eccle- 
siastical. Against  this  subjection  to  the  influence  and 
interests  of  the  Church,  energetic  governors  rebelled,  and 
the  history  of  Spanish  dominion  is  checkered  with  strug- 
gles between  the  civil  and  religious  powers,  which  repro- 
duced on  a small  scale  the  mediaeval  contests  of  popes 
and  emperors.”* 

* Blair  and  .Robertson,  Preface,  pp.  48,  49. 

79 


8o 


The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 


In  casting  about  for  suitable  instruments  for  this 
task  of  Christianizing  the  pagan  and  heathen  popula- 
tions of  his  new  possessions  in  the  Far  East,  the  pope 
was  at  one  with  His  Most  Catholic  Majesty,  King  Philip 
the  Second,  in  believing  that  friars  would  be  the  best 
agents  to  employ  in  that  work,  on  account  of  economy, 
as  well  as  for  the  simplification  of  administrative  diffi- 
culties sure  to  arise  even  in  affairs  of  the  Church  when 
its  problems  had  to  be  faced  and  solved  so  many  miles 
away  and  over  inhospitable  seas.  King  Philip  was  espe- 
cially moved  by  the  argument  of  economy.  He  was  ever 
parsimonious.  He  starved  his  armies,  stinted  his  table, 
and  pinched  his  family,  all  with  the  ferret-like  keenness 
that  characterized  his  narrow,  mechanical  mind.  These 
men  were,  of  course,  under  the  vow  of  celibacy.  That 
went  without  saying.  But  they  were  also  under  a vow 
of  poverty  so  binding  that  the  very  clothes  they  wore 
were  to  be  owned  by  their  order,  that  they  might  literally 
own  nothing.  All  property  belonging  to  them  at  the  time 
of  their  entrance  went  to  the  order.  When  they  had  taken 
its  final  vows,  they  disappeared  as  legal  entities,  and  in 
their  name  thenceforward  the  order  into  which  their  being 
had  been  merged  received  any  inheritance  which  might 
fall  to  them.  They  would  be  no  charge  to  the  royal  treas- 
uries. They  would  be  under  the  immediate  direction  in 
all  their  work  of  the  provincials  of  their  respective  organ- 
izations, and  thus  have  a practically  complete  organization 
on  the  field. 

The  mecnanical  ideas  of  what  constituted  Christian- 
izing heathen  peoples  were  the  only  ideas  known  to  either 
pope,  king,  or  friar,  so  that  in  no  way  were  they  open  to 
the  charge  of  inconsistency,  much  less  hypocrisy,  in  plan- 
ning to  baptize  whole  communities,  peaceably  if  possible, 
but  by  force  if  need  be.  The  virtue  of  the  act  of  baptism 


The  Friars. 


8 1 


did  not  inhere  in  the  faith  anil  penitence  of  the  candidate, 
but  in  the  fact  that  the  administrator  was  a priest,  and  had 
power  to  “bind  and  loose,”  derived  directly,  in  an  un- 
broken “finger-tip  succession,”  from  Peter.  The  official 
act  of  such  a priest  worked  salvation  automatically,  ac- 
cording to  their  theory.  In  1565  an  order  was  sent  to 
New  Spain,  “(1)  priests,  and  (2)  a goodly  number  of 
soldiers  and  muskets,  so  that  if  the  natives  will  not  be 
converted  otherwise  they  may  be  compelled  to  it  by  force 
of  arms.” 

In  the  mind  of  the  friar,  salvation  consisted  in  making 
safe  provision  against  the  consequences  of  sin  in  the  next 
world,  and  not  in  securing  pardon  from  God  himself  and 
that  spiritual  purification  which  enables  the  penitent  and 
forgiven  sinner  to  triumph  against  the  devil,  the  world, 
and  the  flesh.  If  a babe  snatched  from  the  arms  of  a 
mother  could  be  hastily  baptized  and  have  the  sign  of 
the  cross  made  over  it,  the  work  was  done.  If  a whole 
village  would  kneel  and  receive  baptism  they  were  Chris- 
tianized, and  “saved.”  The  idea  that  salvation  means  the 
rescue  of  souls  from  the  guilt  and  power  of  sin  in  this  life, 
in  order  that  they  may  live  as  the  children  of  God  in  this 
world,  was  foreign  to  the  early  Philippine  friar,  and,  like 
Xavier  in  India  and  Japan,  they  hurried  thousands  into 
baptism  by  coaxing,  by  threats,  or  bv  the  use,  sometimes, 
of  armed  force,  and  reported  them  Christianized. 

Augustinian  friars  were  the  first  to  be  chosen  to  under- 
take the  task  of  carrying  out  Spain’s  most  dearly-cherished 
purposes  for  the  inhabitants  of  the  Philippines.  One 
Andres  de  Urdaneta,  a prior  of  the  Augustinian  order, 
was  chosen  as  the  real  head  of  the  enterprise.  Legaspi, 
a lawyer,  soldier,  and  man  of  affairs,  was  named  as  the 
representative  of  the  crown,  and  surprised  the  king  and 
Urdaneta  himself,  who  had  known  Legaspi  for  many 
6 


82 


The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 


years,  by  developing  really  statesman-like  qualities,  and 
doing  a work  for  the  permanent  organization  of  the 
Philippines  that  is  felt  even  to  the  present  day. 

The  letter  of  instructions  given  to  Urdaneta  and  the 
friars  who  accompanied  him  is  dated  in  Culhuacan, 
Mexico,  February  5,  1564.  The  opening  passages  are 
as  follows : 


“Very  Beloved  Sons: — You  are  aware  how  Felipe, 
by  tbe  grace  of  God,  King  of  the  Spains  and  the  Indies, 
and  our  lord,  has  been  greatly  pleased  with  the  news  that 
some  brethren  of  our  order  are  to  go  with  the  expe- 
dition now  being  equipped  by  his  very  illustrious  vice- 
roy and  captain-general,  Don  Luis  de  Velasco,  in  this 
Nueva  Espano  (Mexico),  which  is  to  sail  through  the 
Western  Sea  of  this  kingdom  toward  the  continent  and 
certain  of  the  islands  that  lie  between  the  equator  and 
the  Arctic  and  Antarctic  poles,  and  below  the  region  of 
the  torrid  zone  itself, — to  the  end  that,  according  to  right 
reason  and  the  benign  counsels  of  Christian  piety,  both  at 
home  and  abroad  as  will  best  seem  consonant  with  the 
purpose  of  His  Royal  Majesty,  you  may  control  the 
fleet  and  troops  of  the  Spanish  army.  Especially,  too, 
that  the  most  brilliant  light  of  faith  may  beam  upon  the 
populous  races  that  dwell  in  that  region  of  the  world. 
Through  the  benignity  of  God  most  holy  and  supreme, 
and  your  preaching,  there  is  hope  that  these  benighted 
barbarians  may  cast  aside  the  errors  and  more  than  Cim- 
merian darkness  of  idolatry  for  the  splendor  of  the  gos- 
pel, and  that  they  who,  so  long  unacquainted  with  gos- 
pel truth,  have  been  groping  in  the  gloom  of  Satanic 
bondage,  may  now  at  last,  through  the  grace  of  Christ, 
the  common  Savior  of  all  men,  gaze  at  the  full  light  of 
truth  in  their  knowledge  of  His  name. 

“Therefore,  after  long  mediation  and  mature  coun- 
sel, sure  as  we  are  of  your  piety,  deep  learning,  charity, 
and  merits,  we  have  chosen  you  for  this  apostolic  charge, 
the  task  (with  the  help  of  the  Lord  to  whom  we  commend 
you)  of  leading  peoples  to  embrace  the  faith.  . . . 


SAN  SEBASTIAN  CHURCH,  MANILA.  • 

(Commonly  called  “The  Steel  Church.”  Is  built  of  steel  throughout. 
Made  in  England,  and  shipped  to  Manila  in  sections.) 


Thu  Friars. 


85 


Moreover,  we  earnestly  exhort  your  charity  in  the  Lord, 
as  far  as  lies  in  our  power,  to  announce  the  all-holy  gos- 
pel of  Christ  to  all  races,  baptizing  them  in  the  name 
of  the  Father,  and  of  the  Son,  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost; 
training  them  in  the  holy  Catholic  faith,  on  the  same 
lines  on  which  the  faithful  are  trained  by  our  cherished 
mother,  the  Church  of  Rome ; shunning  utterly  therein 
all  novelty  of  doctrine,  which  we  desire  shall  in  all  things 
conform  to  the  holy  and  ecumenical  councils  and  doc- 
tors acknowledged  by  the  same  Church ; teaching  them 
especially  that  obedience  which  all  Christians  owe  to  the 
supreme  pontiff  and  the  Church  of  Rome,  . . . which 

in  truth  is  always  the  leader,  head,  and  mistress  of  all 
other  Churches  in  the  world,  . . . then  to  their  law- 

ful rulers  and  masters ; teaching  them  at  the  same  time 
to  live  under  the  yoke  and  discipline  of  Faith,  Hope,  and 
Charity,  and  to  forget,  moreover,  their  old-time  super- 
stitions and  errors  of  the  devil.”  . . . 

(Then  follow  grants  of  power  to  establish  hospitals, 
monasteries,  and  such  other  institutions  as  they  deem 
necessary  for  the  work  they  were  sent  to  do.) 

From  this  time  on  until  the  very  end  of  Spanish  domi- 
nation it  was  the  friar  who  really  held  the  reins  of  power 
in  the  Philippines.  By  his  fiat  the  governors  ruled,  and  by 
his  will  they  were  deposed.  As  late  as  October,  1896,  the 
following  cablegram  was  sent  by  friars  in  Manila  to  tbe 
head  of  the  Dominican  Order  in  Madrid : 

“Situation  grave.  Rebellion  spreading.  Apathy  of 
Blanco  inexplicable.  To  save  the  situation,  urgently 
necessary  appointment  new  governor-general.” 

That  it  should  have  been  sent  is  no  marvel,  when  the 
power  of  the  religious  orders  is  understood.  Within 
forty-eight  hours  the  appointment  of  General  Polavieja 
as  the  successor  of  the  man  whom  the  friars  deemed  in- 
capable was  made  public.  When  General  Merritt  and 


86 


The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 


Admiral  Dewey  took  the  city  of  Manila  they  found  friar 
hands  at  the  wheel.  Orders  were  given  by  ecclesiastical 
officials,  and  they  were  obeyed. 

The  friar  staid.  Governors  canie  and  went.  In  their 
brief  periods  of  service  it  was  impossible  for  them  to 
come  into  close  contact  with  the  people,  and  to  feel  the 
real  needs  of  those  whom  they  were  sent  to  rule.  One  of 
the  many  consequences  of  this  condition  of  things  was 
that  the  friar  was  the  man  who  knew  all  the  ins  and  outs 
of  the  country,  and  was  able  to  outwit  the  wisest  govern- 
ors, who  were  always  raw  to  the  country. 

It  is  unfair  and  untrue  to  think  of  the  friars  merely 
as  oppressors  of  the  Filipinos.  They  did  oppress  them. 
They  were  servants  of  a Church  which  oppresses  all  those 
over  whom  it  possesses  absolute  power,  and  also  servants 
of  a State  which  demanded  of  them  a degree  of  partici- 
pation in  its  administration  wholly  inconsistent  with  a 
proper  performance  of  their  duties  as  religious  leaders. 
But  they  did  some  things  for  the  people  which  only  a 
hopeless  bigot  would  refuse  to  see  and  acknowledge. 

With  all  their  errors  in  doctrine,  they  brought  to  this 
people  the  great  fundamental  truths  of  the  unity  of  God, 
His  redemptive  purpose  for  the  race,  carried  out  on  their 
behalf  by  His  Son  “manifest  in  the  flesh,”  the  eternal 
felicity  of  those  who  rightly  relate  themselves  to  this 
Redeemer,  and  the  unending  misery  of  such  as  persist 
in  courses  of  rebellion  against  God  to  the  end  of  their 
earthly  career.  All  these  truths,  and  many  more,  are  in 
Christianity.  It  is  only  necessary  to  say  that  they  taught 
the  people  Christ  and  His  religion  as  they  understood  it. 
They  failed,  as  Catholicism  fails  everywhere  and  always, 
in  their  teachings  as  to  the  way  the  Redeemer  and  the 
sinner  get  together,  interposing  the  Virgin,  saints,  and 
sacraments  between  the  sinner  and  his  Lord ; but  he  who 


The  Friars. 


87 


shows  irritation  that  they  thus  taught  should  remember 
that  we  are  all  very  largely  the  product  of  our  instruction, 
and  these  friars  were  taught  these  things  as  the  truths 
of  God  from  their  earliest  lispings. 

Now  a little  of  Christ  is  better  than  all  of  any  other 
system  of  religion  the  world  ever  knew.  All  of  Buddha's 
teachings,  taking  them  in  their  purity  as  they  fell  from 
his  lips,  give  less  light  on  the  problems  of  life  and  death 
than  do  these  broken  fragments  of  truth  taught  by  Rome. 
The  light  that  shines  from  the  veiled  face  of  a Catholic 
Christ  was  vastly  more  bright  than  that  which  their  own 
heathen  teachings  and  superstitions  gave.  Only  those 
who  have  lived  among  naked  heathenism  can  fully  appre- 
ciate the  full  truth  of  these  statements.  The  idols  of  the 
heathen  are  associated  in  the  minds  of  their  worshipers 
with  all  kinds  of  unmentionable  uncleannesses.  The  God 
of  the  Romanist,  as  well  as  the  God  of  the  Protestant, 
is  holy  ! And  in  all  religions  the  crucial  test  is  what 
kind  of  a Being  is  worshiped.  If  this  Being  is  holy,  there 
is  a germ  of  truth  in  the  system,  and  it  will  grow  up  in 
godliness  in  the  hearts  of  those  who  bow  before  this  sin- 
hating  object  of  adoration.  We  find  the  Filipino  to-day 
full  of  superstitions  taught  him  by  Rome ; but  he  is  a 
monotheist,  and  that  in  philosophy  as  well  as  in  theology. 
He  has  no  pantheistic  conception  of  the  universe  lying 
back  of  his  conceptions  about  God.  For  this  scourging 
out  of  polytheism  the  religion  which  the  friar  taught  must 
have  the  credit.  In  so  far  as  they  taught  it  truly,  they 
share  in  that  credit,  and  no  Protestant  should  be  afraid 
or  ashamed  to  acknowledge  it.  Rather  should  he  say  like 
the  apostle,  “Nevertheless,  in  every  way,  whether  in  pre- 
tense or  in  truth,  Christ  is  preached ; and  I therein  do 
rejoice,  yea,  and  will  rejoice.” 

The  friars  rendered  a great  service  to  the  people  of  the 


88 


The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 


islands  by  Romanizing  their  vernacular  alphabets.  Every 
missionary  in  the  East  will  instantly  appreciate  this  serv- 
ice. The  native  letters  were  mere  scrawls,  and  each  scrawl 
was  different  from  all  the  others.  In  place  of  these, 
scholarly  friars  worked  out  equivalents  in  Roman  letters, 
with  certain  marks  under  or  over  the  letters  to  indicate 
peculiar  sounds.  This  makes  the  learning  of  any  one  of 
the  vernaculars  a comparatively  easy  matter. 

An  even  greater  service  has  been  rendered  by  the  intro- 
duction and  maintenance  of  schools.  Here  the  friar  has 
been  at  his  best.  In  the  year  that  our  Pilgrim  Fathers 
landed  in  New  England  the  Dominican  Order  of  friars 
set  up  the  College  of  Santo  Tomas  (St.  Thomas)  in  Ma- 
nila. It  has  been  continued  until  this  day.  It  has  regis- 
tered more  pupils  than  Harvard,  and  literal  thousands  of 
graduates  and  undergraduates  are  to  be  found  in  all  parts 
of  the  islands.  In  1644  it  was  raised  to  the  rank  of  a uni- 
versity, and  given  the  right  to  call  itself  “Royal  and  Pon- 
tifical,” by  special  Papal  Bull.  The  intermediate  or  pre- 
paratory school  of  San  Juan  de  Eateran  was  opened  in 
1640  to  provide  a means  of  suitably  fitting  lads  for  en- 
trance upon  regular  collegiate  work.  High  schools  and 
colleges  of  less  pretensions  were  opened  in  various  prov- 
inces, all  of  them  taught  by  friars  and  assistants  whom 
they  had  trained.  Schools  for  girls  were  opened  as  early 
as  1 759,  and  some  very  creditable  work  has  been  done 
for  the  girls  and  women  of  the  Islands  through  these  insti- 
tutions. They  have  given  a taste  of  modern  culture  to 
thousands  of  Filipino  women,  making  them  in  many  cases, 
to  all  appearances  at  least,  the  peers  of  women  of  their 
rank  and  station  in  life  in  Europe  or  America.  In  the 
provinces,  too,  the  friar  was  the  educator.  If  he  willed  it 
so,  there  was  a school  in  the  city  where  he  officiated.  If 
he  were  a man  of  energy  and  good  character,  the  school 


The  Friars. 


89 


left  a deep  and  favorable  impress  upon  the  young  life  of 
that  place.  If  he  were  an  indolent  profligate  man — as. 
alas ! was  too  often  the  case — his  school  was  rather  worse 
than  a failure.  Until  the  year  1863  there  was  not  in  all 
the  Islands  so  much  as  one  school  that  was  not  carried  on 
by  friars.  Since  that  time  they  have  been  compelled  to 
suffer  rivals  in  what  was  once  a field  exclusively  held 
by  themselves. 

The  courses  of  study  in  these  institutions  was  super- 
ficial. old,  and  inelastic ; and  over  them  all  lay  the  inter- 
dict of  Rome  as  to  anything  like  original  thinking.  For 
the  independent  thinker  Rome  has  never  had  place.  All 
she  has  ever  afforded  him  was  a dungeon,  a rack,  or  the 
flames.  With  a meager  and  archaic  course  of  study,  and 
within  the  narrow  limits  of  accepted  doctrine,  tradition, 
and  the  decisions  of  councils,  the  friar  has  done  a real 
work  for  education.  It  has  been  necessarily  a poor  work, 
for  he  had  poor  tools.  He  was  lame  in  science.  He 
feared  the  light  of  the  modern  world,  and  clung  with  al- 
most pitiful  tenacity  to  theories  and  conclusions  which 
had  been  discarded  by  scholars  for  at  least  a hundred 
years.  But  such  as  that  service  has  been,  the  credit  be- 
longs to  the  friar  orders  who  maintained  the  only  educa- 
tional work  on  university  lines  in  all  Malaysia  for  three 
centuries. 

It  will  be  my  duty  to  say  things  less  favorable  to  the 
work  of  the  friars  than  are  contained  in  some  of  the  state- 
ments of  this  chapter,  and  I can  not  go  forward  to  do  that 
unpleasant  but  necessary  duty  without  calling  attention 
to  the  fact  that,  when  all  has  been  said  that  can  be,  truth- 
fully, as  to  the  blemishes  upon  the  escutcheon  of  the  friars 
in  the  Philippines,  it  remains  true  that  here,  in  these 
Islands,  the  native  population  has  been  raised  to  a con- 
dition of  practical  civilization.  The  Filipinos,  when  con- 


go 


The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 


trasted  with  the  best  of  the  Teutonic  and  Anglo-Saxon 
peoples,  seem  very  far  below  them ; but  when  placed  in 
comparison  with  their  own  Malay  cousins  in  Borneo  and 
the  Peninsula,  as  well  as  in  Java  and  Sumatra,  they  show 
that  influences  have  been  at  work  here  that  have  been 
lacking  there. 

This  difference  can  only  be  attributed  to  the  leaven  of 
the  Christian  religion,  weakened  as  it  has  been  in  its  power 
by  errors  of  a vital  sort  in  the  way  it  has  been  taught,  and 
still  further  hindered  in  its  transforming  power  by  vicious 
policies  and  evil  courses  in  later  teachers  of  its  principles. 


IIUIN  OP  CATHOLIC  BUILDING. 


CHAPTER  VI. 


Why  the  Friars  are  Hated. 

No  troop  should  be  required  that  the  friars  are  hated 
by  the  majority  of  Filipinos.  It  is  true  that  educated  and 
wealthy  Filipinos  were  able,  either  by  wit  or  influence,  to 
protect  themselves  against  the  wiles  of  the  friars,  and 
are,  in  some  cases,  friendly  to  them.  But  as  a matter  of 
totals  the  case  is  closed. 

It  may  be  wise,  however,  to  set  forth  briefly  some  of 
the  mass  of  evidence  which  it  would  be  easy  to  furnish  in 
order  that  denials  of  this  hostility  made  in  the  United 
States  can  be  met  and  answered. 

Both  the  insurrections  known  as  the  “Cavite  Uprising 
of  1872,“  and  the  larger  insurrection  of  1896.  were  purely 
anti-friar  risings.  The  first  clause  in  the  list  of  demands 
and  declaration  of  purposes  put  forth  by  the  insurrectos 
reads  as  follows : 

“Expulsion  of  the  friars,  and  restitution  to  the  town- 
ships of  the  lands  which  the  friars  have  appropriated, 
dividing  the  incumbencies  held  by  them,  as  well  as  the 
episcopal  sees,  equally  between  peninsular  and  insular 
secular  priests.” 

The  first  rising  proposed  the  massacre  of  every  friar 
in  and  near  Manila,  and  their  burial  “in  Bagumbayan 
Field,”  the  place  where  hundreds  of  Filipinos  had  been 
shot  at  friar  instigation.  Rizal  was  shot  there,  as  were 


91 


92 


The  Philippines  and  the  Far  Fast. 


also  the  three  Filipino  priests  at  the  close  of  the  Cavite 
uprising  of  1872.  In  the  first  report  of  the  Civil  Com- 
mission, discussing  this  question  of  hostility  to  the  friars, 
Governor  Taft  and  the  Commission  say: 

“Regarding  the  return  of  the  friars,  the  deep-seated 
hatred  of  the  people  must  be  reckoned  with.” 

And  further  on  in  the  same  section  the  report  says : 

“It  is  enough  to  say  that  the  political  question  will  be 
eliminated  if  the  friars  are  sent  back.” 

One  of  many  instances  that  might  be  cited  in  proof 
of  this  hatred  occurred  at  Naic,  in  the  province  of  Cavite, 
August  29,  1901.  The  Manila  Times,  reporting  the  oc- 
currence, says : 

“Evidence  of  the  hatred  and  contempt  which  exists 
among  the  natives  towards  the  friars  was  clearly  dem- 
onstrated at  Naic,  Cavite  province,  on  the  29th  ult.  The 
people  rose  en  masse  to  show  their  disapproval  of  the 
presence  in  their  town  of  the  friars,  who  came  there  from 
Manila  to  collect  rentals  on  buildings  and  farms  owned 
by  the  religious  corporations  in  that  vicinity.  Thou- 
sands of  men,  women,  and  children  formed  in  procession, 
parading  the  streets,  carrying  banners  with  the  inscrip- 
tion, ‘Long  live  Naic  under  the  flag  of  the  United  States 
of  America!’  and  shouting,  ‘Hurrah  for  the  Americans 
and  the  Filipinos!’  ‘Out  with  the  friars!’  and  other 
remarks  deprecatory  to  the  friar  agents  who  were  alluded 
to  as  vampires.” 

I have  eleven  such  newspaper  notices  of  protests 
against  the  return  of  friars  to  their  estates  and  schools 
among  my  clippings  from  local  papers.  Less  than  a 
month  ago  four  hundred  citizens  of  Dagupan,  province 
of  Pangasinan,  petitioned  Governor  Taft  against  the  return 
of  Dominican  friars  to  that  city  to  reopen  a school  which 


Why  the  Friars  are  Hated. 


93 


they  had  formerly  conducted  at  that  place.  They  de- 
clared that  they  “had  reason  to  believe,  and  did  believe,” 
that  such  return  of  the  friars  would  so  anger  the  people 
that  local  authorities  would  be  powerless  to  prevent  vio- 
lence and  perhaps  loss  of  life.  In  the  summer  of  1900 
Governor  Taft  and  the  Civil  Commission  examined  a 
large  number  of  witnesses — bishops,  priests,  friars,  offi- 
cials of  monastic  orders,  doctors,  lawyers,  business  men, 
and  teachers,  all  residents  of  the  Philippines — on  Church 
and  school  questions.  The  report  of  that  examination 
saw  the  light  as  Senate  Document  Xo.  190.  In  this  docu- 
ment is  the  testimony  of  many  prominent  professional  and 
business  men  on  this  point  of  the  attitude  of  the  Filipinos 
toward -the  friars.  On  page  151  of  that  document  I find 
the  following  testimony  of  a lawyer  by  the  name  of  Con- 
stantino, fifty-eight  years  old,  and  having  been  in  active 
practice  of  his  profession  for  many  years  in  Manila  and 
his  own  province  of  Bulacan  : 

“Question.  I want  to  ask  you  whether  the  hostility 
against  the  friars  is  confined  to  the  educated  and  better 
element  among  the  people?” 

“Answer.  It  permeates  all  classes  of  society,  and  prin- 
cipally' the  lower,  for  they  can  do  nothing ; the  upper 
classes,  bv  reason  of  their  education,  can  stand  them  off 
better  than  the  lower  classes,  and  this  is  the  reason  that 
the  friars  do  n’t  want  the  public  to  become  educated. 

“O.  Do  the  friars  still  retain  any  influence  over  the 
women  of  the  lower  orders? 

“A.  Over  some  very  fanatical  women,  yes. 

“O.  But  you  think  that  feeling  is  not  general  among 
them  ? 

“A.  The  hatred  is  general.  The  Commission  may  find 
the  proof  of  this  by  sending  a trustworthy  man  to  every 
pueblo  in  the  archipelago  to  ask  of  the  inhabitants  if  they 
want  a friar  curate,  and  all  of  them  will  answer,  No. 


94 


The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 


“Q.  Does  the  feeling  exist  against  all  the  orders? 

“A.  Yes,  against  all  the  orders ; but,  of  course,  prin- 
cipally against  all  the  orders  who  have  acted  as  curates. 
Of  course,  it  is  true  there  can  be  had  an  opportunity 
to  commit  the  acts.” 

Pages  could  be  filled  with  such  citations  from  this 
publication,  and  there  is  no  variation  in  the  testimony  of 
laymen. 

To  what,  then,  is  this  hatred  due?  Why  have  they 
become  obnoxious  to  the  people  for  whom  they  have  so 
long  acted  as  spiritual  guides?  The  five  reasons  which 
I shall  give  for  this  antagonism  will  be  stated  in  the  order 
in  which  they  have  operated,  beginning  with  that  which 
has  had  the  least  influence,  and  ending  with  the  cause 
which  has  been,  and  now  is,  most  powerful. 

i.  Because  the  friars  secured  and  held  such  large  tracts 
of  the  most  valuable  land,  and  used  these  tracts  as  a means 
of  enriching  their  orders. 

Friars  own  no  swamp-lands.  Locate  one  of  their 
corner  lots  in  Manila,  or  one  of  their  estates  in  the  prov- 
inces, and  you  will  see  that  they  have  been  selected  with 
the  eye  of  the  trained  investor.  They  own  large  tracts. 
The  Augustinian  Order  owns  one  tract  twenty-eight  miles 
long  by  fourteen  miles  wide.  Thousands  of  poor  people 
live  on  the  estate.  Cities  are  built  on  it.  Not  a foot  of 
it  was  ever  sold.  For  every  little  thatch-house  built  on 
it  a good  rental  had  to  be  paid  annually.  Tenants  had  to 
pay  high  rents,  and  often  tithes  besides.  The  land  was 
given  to  the  order  outright  by  Governor-General  More- 
nias  in  1878.  The  order  was  directed  to  return  it  to 
government  by  Governor  Primo  dc  Rivera,  but,  through 
influence  in  Madrid  and  Manila,  lie  was  worried  into  per- 
mitting them  to  hold  it.  Much  of  this  land  cost  them 


•Jo 


TWO  FRIARS  JN  AUGUSTIN  I AN  CHURCH  GARDEN,  MANILA. 


Why  the  Friars  are  Hated. 


97 


little  or  nothing.  Ignorant  men  would  sell  it  for  a song, 
or  when  they  were  in  difficulties  would  accept  a loan  on 
their  land.  The  friar  figured  the  interest.  In  the  end 
the  land  went  for  the  debt.  Some  of  it  was  secured  in 
return  for  masses  said  for  dead  relatives.  Some  of  it 
was  wrung  from  the  dying  with  threats  and  promises  of 
rewards  if  the  soul  in  his  last  hours  would  remember 
“Mother  Church”  with  a generous  benefaction.  All  of 
it  came  cheap.  All  of  it  yielded  good  incomes  to  its 
priestly  owners.  None  of  it  paid  any  taxes;  for  the  friars, 
being  the  largest  single  landholders  and  controlling  the 
government,  easily  diverted  taxation  to  other  objects. 
The  burden  was  bound  across  the  shoulders  of  the  artisan 
and  the  agriculturist,  and  they  went  scot  free.  Natu- 
rally the  business  relations  into  which  the  ownership  of 
so  much  land  brought  the  friars  made  friction  inevitable. 
But  when  their  rates  for  rentals  were  higher  than  others, 
their  rental  contracts  were  iron-clad,  their  methods  of 
collection  as  pitiless  as  the  money-lender  in  the  market, 
and  their  exemption  from  the  heavy  burdens  of  taxation 
worked  to  the  constantly-increasing  disadvantage  of  the 
poor  tenant,  it  was  too  much  to  expect  that  he  would  con- 
tinue to  bear  his  burdens  without  chafing.  As  a matter 
of  fact  he  did  chafe,  and  at  present  nothing  maddens  a 
poor  Filipino  laboring  man  in  the  neighborhood  of  one 
of  these  large  friar  estates  any  more  quickly  than  to  start 
him  talking  about  his  grievances  against  friar  landlords 
who  get  all  the  profits  without  any  of  the  risks  or  burdens 
borne  by  other  employers  of  labor.  Now  that  friar  estates 
have  been  purchased  by  the  government  this  grievance 
will  no  longer  exist. 

2.  Because  they  stifled  all  liberty  of  thought  or  freedom 
of  speech  in  matters  religious  and  political. 

7 


98  The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 

Section  226  of  the  Spanish  Penal  Code,  now  formally 
repealed  by  the  Civil  Commission,  reads  as  follows : 

“Those  who  shall  publicly  perform  acts  of  propaganda, 
preaching,  or  other  ceremonies  which  are  not  those  of  the 
religion  of  the  State  shall  incur  the  penalty  of  prision 
correctional  in  its  minimum  degree.” 

This  penalty  called  for  both  fine  and  imprisonment. 
The  Treaty  of  Paris  “killed”  this  section  ; but  until  a new 
penal  code  was  enacted  this  law  stood  there  in  the  statute- 
books,  a swift  witness  to  the  typical  Spanish  Catholic 
intolerance  which  drenched  the  Netherlands  in  blood  be- 
cause they  did  not  accept  Catholic  teachings  as  the  last 
word  of  truth,  and  which  established  a reign  of  terror 
among  the  best  element  of  the  Filipino  people. 

If  a pupil  in  one  of  the  friar  institutions  dared  to 
broach  an  opinion  in  the  least  out  of  harmony  with  the 
obsolete  science  which  had  received  the  approval  of 
Church  authorities,  he  was  promptly  suppressed;  and  if 
he  continued  in  his  folly  and  wickedness,  he  was  not  only 
expelled,  but  put  under  a system  of  espionage  which  had 
all  the  resources  of  the  confessional  to  supplement  other 
detective  agencies.  If  he  ventured  upon  any  freedom  of 
speech,  no  matter  how  remote  his  pueblo,  it  was  reported 
to  the  religious  authorities,  and  he  was  either  imprisoned 
or  deported.  (In  passing  it  may  be  remarked  that  state- 
ments that  Filipinos  are  capable  only  of  imitation  in 
thought  come  with  poor  grace  from  these  same  friars, 
when  nothing  else  than  imitation  of  thought  was  ever 
tolerated.) 

It  is  said  with  wearisome  iteration  before  American 
readers  and  hearers  that  the  Filipinos  arc  all  loyal  Cath- 
olics. Until  within  five  years  it  was  banishment  or  death 
to  be  anything  else.  Not  even  in  your  bedchamber  were 


Why  this  Fuiars  auk  Hatkd. 


99 


you  secure  from  the  espionage  of  the  priest,  who  had  your 
friend  or  vour  child  or  your  wife  in  his  confessional  next 
day,  and  heard  all  you  said,  knew  all  the  books  you  read, 
and  had  all  your  inmost  thoughts  laid  bare  before  his 
intolerant  eyes.  This  yoke  of  mental  bondage  galled  the 
intelligent  classes  intolerably  during  the  last  quarter  of 
a century,  and  not  a little  of  the  irreconcilable  antagonism 
to  the  friar  orders  is  due  to  this  overbearing,  unscrupu- 
lous enforcement  of  civil  and  religious  laws  against  any- 
thing like  liberty  of  conscience  or  freedom  of  speech. 

The  most  public  case  of  friar  activity  in  compassing 
the  death  of  those  who  held  opinions  at  variance  with 
those  of  the  Church,  is  that  of  Dr.  Jose  Rizal.  Rizal  dis- 
tinguished himself  as  a student  in  the  Jesuits’  school  in 
Manila  when  a lad.  His  thirst  for  knowledge  was  not 
quenched  at  this  slender  spring.  He  finally  went  to  Eu- 
rope. taking  degrees  both  in  medicine  and  philosophy  at 
Madrid  University.  After  completing  his  studies  there, 
he  took  post-graduate  work  in  Paris,  and  at  several  places 
of  learning  in  Germany,  remaining  abroad  several  years. 
During  this  time  he  made  conditions  of  national  life  in 
Southern  Europe  the  subject  of  close  study,  with  a view 
of  arriving  at  a solution  of  the  difficulties  which  beset  his 
own  people.  One  thing  emerged  clearly  in  his  mind,  and 
that  was  the  necessity  for  the  expulsion  of  the  friars  if 
there  was  to  be  either  peace  or  progress.  To  the  accom- 
plishment of  this  end  he  set  himself  with  zeal  and  courage. 
He  first  wrote  a novel  entitled  “Noli  me  Tangere,”  which 
pictured  more  vividly  than  anything  that  has  yet  been 
written  the  conduct  of  the  friars  and  the  sufferings  of  the 
people.  Following  that,  and  while  yet  in  Europe,  he  wrote 
another  book  named  “El  Filibusterismo.”  This  was  also 
political  in  its  drift,  and  was  far  from  complimentary  to 


IOO 


The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 


the  friars  of  the  land  of  his  birth.  On  his  return  to  the 
Philippines  a year  or  so  after  the  publication  of  his  last 
book  he  led  in  a protest  against  the  validity  of  the  title 
of  a large  estate  claimed  by  the  Dominican  Order  in  his 
native  community.  So  fierce  was  the  ebullition  of  clerical 
hatred  that  he  deemed  it  prudent  to  go  again  to  Europe. 

During  this  second  absence  no  form  of  ecclesiastical 
annoyance  was  omitted  from  tbe  treatment  accorded  to 
members  of  Dr.  Rival’s  family.  In  vain  they  protested 
their  entire  submission  to  the  Church  and  their  loyalty  to 
the  friar  orders.  They  were  driven  from  their  lands,  and 
Spanish  favorites  took  them.  In  1893,  Rizal  arrived 
again  in  Hong  Kong  on  his  way  to  the  land  he  loved,  and 
for  which  he  sought  to  perform  some  worthy  service.  lie 
was  assured,  in  correspondence  with  the  governor-general 
and  the  Spanish  consul,  that  he  was  at  perfect  liberty  to 
return  to  the  Philippines.  He  took  ship  and  arrived  in 
Manila,  but  was  immediately  put  under  arrest,  charged 
with  having  seditious  papers  secreted  in  his  personal  bag- 
gage. The  papers  were  produced — openly  seditious  and 
anti-friar.  Pie  denied  having  had  such  papers  in  his 
boxes,  and,  in  fact,  it  was  practically  proven  that  they 
were  placed  among  his  personal  effects  by  bribed  agents 
of  those  who  sought  his  destruction.  He  was  not  such  a 
dolt  as  to  have  incriminating  documents  about  him  when 
he  had  reason  to  fear  that  any  such  matter  found  in  his 
effects  would  debar  him  from  entering  the  country,  and 
perhaps  end  his  life.  The  friar  party  demanded  his  blood. 
The  verdict  was  not  clear.  He  should  have  been  ac- 
quitted. but  a compromise  was  effected  by  which  he  was 
banished  to  a little  town  on  the  north  shore  of  Mindanao 
Island.  There  lie  lived  in  practical  imprisonment  for 
four  years.  PI  is  fame  as  an  oculist  brought  him  many 


Why  the  Friars  are  Hated. 


ioi 


patients,  even  to  that  distant  corner  of  the  Archipelago. 
He  performed  cures  which  seemed  miracles  to  the  Fili- 
pinos, and  gradually  began  to  take  on  among  all  classes 
of  the  oppressed  the  character  of  deliverer  of  the  Filipino 
people  from  the  burdens  that  crushed  them  to  the  very 
earth.  When  war  broke  out  in  Cuba  he  offered  his  serv- 
ices as  a military  physician,  and  was  permitted  to  leave 
the  Philippines  for  Cuba  z'ia  Spain.  But  before  he  had 
arrived  in  the  peninsula  the  cable  had  carried  certain 
accusations  to  Madrid,  and  once  more  he  was  thrown  into 
prison.  Returned  to  Manila  as  a prisoner,  lie  was  tried 
and  convicted  of  sedition  and  rebellion.  His  condemna- 
tion had  been  determined  before  the  trial  began,  and  sen- 
tence of  death  followed  as  a matter  of  course.  True,  the 
insurrection  was  then  being  waged.  But  what  part  could 
this  man  have  had  in  it  ? He  had  been  a prisoner  of  state 
for  four  years,  closely  confined  in  a distant  island.  He 
left  the  Philippines  at  the  very  outbreak  of  the  insurrec- 
tion in  August.  1896.  He  had  no  opportunity  even  to 
correspond  with  its  leaders,  as  he  was  arrested  on  his 
arrival  in  Spain,  and  returned  under  the  heaviest  of  mili- 
tary guards.  Xo ; his  offense  was  that  he  dared  to  think ! 
This  was  a crime  too  heinous  for  forgiveness.  So  on  the 
morning  of  the  30th  of  December,  1896,  Dr.  Jose  Rizal, 
the  brightest  intellectual  light  that  has  shone  thus  far  in 
the  Philippines,  was  publicly  blindfolded  and  shot  in  the 
back  on  the  execution  grounds  facing  the  bay  in  Manila. 
About  two  thousand  troops  formed  on  three  sides  of  a 
square  about  him.  Hundreds  of  friars  were  present  wit- 
nessing the  deed  of  blood  with  ill-concealed  joy.  Many 
of  them,  as  an  eye-witness  told  me,  smoked  cigars  all  the 
time  their  victim  was  being  prepared  for  death,  and  their 
faces  told  of  their  relief  that  this  troubler  of  their  Israel 


102 


The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 


was  silenced ! But  no  one  act  of  the  friars  so  hastened 
their  overthrow.  Thousands  who  had  held  aloof  from 
the  insurrection,  hoping  for  wiser  counsels  to  prevail,  saw 
in  his  death  the  doom  of  their  hopes,  and  took  up  arms 
resolving  to  die  fighting,  if  die  they  must,  that  their  chil- 
dren might  enjoy  a liberty  of  thought  and  action  which 
they  never  had.  The  brother  of  Dr.  Rizal,  Sr.  Ponciano 
Rizal,  took  the  field  against  Spanish  authority  immedi- 
ately. He  gathered  a large  force,  and  with  them,  and 
with  troops  who  flocked  to  his  standard  as  he  fought  his 
way  into  the  interior,  he  drove  all  Spaniards  out  of  the 
province  of  Laguna  de  Bay,  which  was  a stronghold  of 
the  orders,  and  captured  an  entire  Spanish  garrison  with 
arms  and  accouterments,  besides  lake  gunboats  and  other 
materials  most  helpful  to  the  insurrecto  cause. 

Senor  Paulino  Zamora,  of  Manila,  was  sent  into  ban- 
ishment for  several  years  for  the  crime  of  owning  and 
reading  a copy  of  the  Bible.  The  friars  infuriated  the 
people  through  a stubborn  and  irritating  enforcement  of 
Church  laws  against  freedom  of  thought  and  speech  until 
the  loyalty  they  bear  the  Catholic  Church  has  suffered 
a severe  strain,  and  in  many  cases  has  entirely  given 
way,  and  friar  and  Church  arc  together  hated  and 
shunned.  No  name  is  so  popular  in  the  Philippines  to-dav 
as  that  of  Jose  Rizal.  His  picture  is  on  the  walls  of  tens 
of  thousands  of  homes,  from  the  best  houses  of  Filipino 
principalcs  in  Manila  and  the  large  provincial  cities,  to 
the  humblest  nccpa  balmy  (or  house)  of  the  tao  (or  la- 
borer) in  remote  villages.  He  is  regarded  on  all  hands 
as  a martyr  to  their  common  cause  against  the  intolerance 
of  the  friars.  The  three  native  priests,  Burgos,  Gomez, 
and  Zamora,  who  were  ignominiously  killed  for  presum- 
ing to  say  that  friars  should  keep  the  laws  relating  to  the 


Why  the  Friars  are  Hated.  103 

occupation  of  parish  curacies,  are  venerated  as  martyrs 
also.  The  doing  to  death  of  these  four  good  citizens  is 
only  a small  part  of  the  indictment  which  might  be 
brought  against  the  friars  in  proof  of  their  merciless  in- 
tolerance. Time  and  space  would  forbid  a recital  of  secret 
poisonings,  assassinations,  of  numberless  arrests,  impris- 
onments, and  deportations,  of  countless  open  and  secret 
intimidations,  which  left  the  people  in  a state  of  constant 
fear,  and  finally  begot  within  them  a hatred  which  noth- 
ing can  ever  allay. 


CATHOLIC  CHURCH  AT  ORANI,  BATAAN. 


CHAPTER  VII. 


Why  the  Friars  are  Hated — Continued. 

Continuing  the  statement  of  the  chief  causes  which 
have  produced  the  deep  hatred  which  Filipinos  cherish 
toward  the  friars,  the  next  in  order  of  importance  is, — 

3.  Their  insatiable  greed  for  money. 

Between  the  four  great  orders  represented  in  the 
Philippine  Mission  a constant  rivalry  has  existed  from 
the  earliest  times.  Every  member  of  the  orders  was  made 
to  feel  the  heavy  hand  of  his  superiors  if  he  failed  to  make 
his  masses  and  marriages  and  handling  of  properties  of 
the  order  yield  the  last  centavo  of  income  for  the  central 
treasury.  Corresponding  praise  and  promotion  was  for 
the  friar  who  showed  the  most  zeal  for  the  enhancement 
of  the  revenues  of  his  order.  If  one  order  secured  a plum 
in  the  way  of  a well-located  estate,  the  others  sought  to 
keep  the  accounts  balanced  by  securing  a better  and 
larger  one. 

While  there  is  little  direct  proof  that  individual  friars 
violated  their  vows  of  poverty  by  appropriating  moneys 
collected  for  ecclesiastical  services  to  their  own  use,  it  is 
clear  that  the  demand  for  money,  and  always  for  money, 
goaded  the  people  into  hatred  of  the  members  of  the  re- 
ligious orders.  We  are  not  without  proofs  that  friars  did 
make  a gain  of  their  positions.  I know  a lawyer  in  Ma- 
nila who  is  the  guardian  for  the  children  of  a prominent 
priest,  and  he  has  made  handsome  provision  for  them  in 
the  form  of  landed  properties  near  Manila.  How  he  could 
gain  and  hold  them  and  keep  his  vow  of  poverty  is  not 

104 


Why  the  Friars  are  Hated.  105 

clear  to  the  non-friar  mind.  Probably  lie  felt  that,  having 
trampled  on  his  vow  of  chastity,  it  was  a light  thing  to 
break  the  lesser  vow  of  poverty.  In  any  case  such  are 
the  facts. 

I shall  quote  from  Foreman,  and  from  Senate  Docu- 
ment No.  190,  referred  to  in  the  last  chapter,  for  proof 
of  the  contention  that  the  friars  have  estranged  the  people 
through  their  insatiable  greed  for  money.  And  to  all  that 
these  witnesses  state  I can  add  my  own  conviction  of  the 
entire  accuracy  of  their  statements — a conviction  growing 
out  of  months  of  contact  with  native  life,  during  which 
innumerable  proofs  of  this  greed  for  their  orders  have 
come  to  my  own  attention. 

Foreman  says  (page  226)  : 

“The  clergy  also  (in  addition  to  the  income  from  their 
estates)  derived  a very  large  portion  of  their  incomes 
from  commissions  on  the  sale  of  ccdulas  (poll-tax  cer- 
tificates), sales  of  Papal  P>ulls,  masses,  pictures,  books, 
chaplets  and  indulgencies,  marriage,  burial,  and  baptis- 
mal fees,  benedictions,  donations  touted  for  after  the 
crops  were  raised,  legacies  to  be  paid  for  in  masses,  re- 
mains of  wax  candles  left  in  the  church  by  the  faithful, 
fees  for  getting  souls  out  of  purgatory,  alms,  etc.  The 
surplus  over  and  above  parochial  requirements  were  sup- 
posed to  augment  the  common  Church  funds  in  Manila. 
The  corporations  were  consequently  immensely  wealthy, 
and  their  power  and  influence  were  in  consonance  with 
that  wealth.  . . . The  Church  as  a body  politic  dis- 

pensed no  charity,  but  received  all.  It  was  always  beg- 
ging. It  claimed  immunity  [from  taxation],  proclaimed 
poverty,  and  inculcated  in  others  charity  to  itself.” 

On  page  221,  Foreman  tells  in  detail  of, — 

“A  money-grubbling  parish  priest — a friar — who  pub- 
licly announced  raffles  from  the  pulpit  of  the  church  from 
which  he  preached  morality  and  devotion.  On  one  occa- 
sion a $200  watch  was  put  up  for  $500,  and  at  another 


106  The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 

time  he  raffled  dresses  for  women.  . . . He  Had  the 

audacity  to  dictate  to  a friend  of  mine,  a planter,  Don 

Leandro  L , the  value  of  the  gifts  he  was  to  make 

him,  and  when  the  planter  was  at  length  wearied  with 
his  importunities,  he  conspired  with  a Spaniard  to  de- 
prive my  friend  of  his  estate,  alleging  that  he  was  not 
the  real  owner.  Failing  in  this,  he  stirred  up  the  petty 
governor  and  head  men  against  Him.  In  the  end,  after 
much  litigation,  the  friar  was  only  partially  successful.” 

The  lengths  to  which  friars  went  in  getting  money 
from  the  people  almost  pass  belief.  Marriage  could  only 
be  had  of  the  friar.  Civil  marriage  was  not  possible,  of 
course,  where  Rome  had  absolute  sway,  and  Protestantism 
with  its  ministry  was  utterly  unknown.  There  was  a scale 
of  fees  for  all  religious  rites,  including  marriages,  and 
that  scale  was  tolerably  fair  and  just;  but  in  assessing 
marriage  and  other  fees  it  was  openly  disregarded  and 
the  price  fixed  according  to  the  means  of  the  parties.  If 
a couple  desired  marriage,  the  friar  would  demand  what 
he  considered  was  possible,  and  calmly  refuse  to  perform 
the  ceremony  for  less  than  that  price.  As  he  was  the  only 
functionary  in  that  parish  who  could  unite  the  parties  in 
wedlock,  there  was  no  recourse  but  to  pay  the  price  or 
assume  the  relation  of  husband  and  wife  without  mar- 
riage. Poor  people  practically  abandoned  all  idea  of 
marriage.  At  least  fifty  per  cent  of  the  children  were  born 
of  parents  who  lived  together  as  husband  and  wife  accord- 
ing to  the  terms  of  a contract  of  marriage  mutually  en- 
tered into  between  them.  This  had  a most  demoralizing 
effect  on  morality  and  family  life;  for  the  contracts  were 
as  easily  broken  as  made,  and  the  idea  of  chastity,  for 
which  the  Tagalog,  I’ampangan,  and  llocano  people  espe- 
cially are  noted,  was  seriously  impaired.  So  prevalent  is 
this  state  of  things  that  our  missionaries  (Methodist  Epis- 
copal) in  Manila  alone  have  married  over  two  thousand 


Why  the  Friars  are  Hated. 


107 


couples  within  the  past  three  years,  more  than  half  of 
whom  were  living  together  as  husband  and  wife  when 
they  learned  that  honorable  marriage  was  possible  without 
the  excessive  fees  which  the  friars  had  always  demanded. 
1 married  a man  and  woman  of  sixty  or  more  years  of  age 
two  years  ago,  who  had  lived  together  under  a contract 
of  marriage  for  over  thirty  years.  They  had  their  seven 
children  at  the  wedding  in  my  rooms,  and  when  witnesses 
to  the  ceremony  were  needed  the  old  man  offered  his 
oldest  son  and  daughter  without  the  faintest  notion  of 
either  the  pathos  or  the  humor  which  the  offer  contained ! 
He  told  me,  with  some  of  the  heat  of  the  old  injury  yet 
aflame  in  his  eyes,  that  when  he  was  a young  man  and 
wanted  to  marry  this  woman  the  friar  to  whom  he  went 
demanded  six  months  of  his  salary  as  his  fee.  He  could 
not  and  would  not  pay  it,  and  the  only  alternatives  were 
to  give  up  the  idea  of  having  a home,  or  enter  into  the 
customary  contract  of  marriage.  He  chose  the  latter, 
and  told  me  with  no  little  heat  that  he  believed  that  if 
there  was  any  sin  in  the  case,  God  would  adjudge  the 
major  part  to  the  friar  who  demanded  the  excessive  fee. 
I was  not  prepared  to  argue  the  friar’s  side  of  the  case. 

Deaths  and  funerals  are  sources  of  large  income  to 
the  friars.  They  charge  for  the  dying  consolations  of 
religion  according  to  the  robes  worn,  and  the  length  and 
kind  of  prayers  offered.  Every  stroke  of  the  church  bell 
announcing  the  death  costs  from  ten  cents  to  a dollar. 
The  funeral  itself  can  be  ordinary,  solemn,  or  most  sol- 
emn, with  proportionate  fees.  Burial  charges  are  extra. 
If  the  friar  goes  all  the  way  to  the  grave,  it  is  twice  as 
expensive  as  if  he  goes  only  half  way.  If  death  and 
funeral  fees  are  not  forthcoming,  there  can  be  no  bells 
rung,  no  service  held,  and  the  body  may  not  be  permitted 
to  rest  in  “holy”  ground.  I was  told  of  a case  in  one  of 


io8  The  Philippines  and  the  Par  East. 


the  provinces  in  which  the  friar  absolutely  refused  to  inter 
a body  until  thirty  pesos  ($15)  were  paid  as  fees.  The 
relatives  put  together  their  pitiful  little  store,  and  it 
amounted  to  but  $8.  They  begged  him  to  accept  that. 
He  sent  them  away,  telling  them  roughly  that  they  only 
wasted  their  time  and  his  to  come  to  him  again  with  less 


ELEVEN  GRAVES  IN  WALL. 

(Each  opening  contains  a body.  Rents  for  eighteen  dollars  for  five 
years.  Body  thrown  out  if  rent  is  not  paid. ) 

than  the  amount  demanded.  At  last,  by  borrowing  from 
their  friends,  the  indigent  relatives  scraped  the  entire  sum 
together,  and  the  remains  were  buried  with  ceremonies 
in  the  name  of  the  compassionate  Nazarene!  In  the  testi- 
mony of  Sefior  Maximo  Viola,  given  before  the  Civil 
Commission,  he  says: 

“If  the  dying  person  is  a pauper,  with  no  one  to  pay 
fees,  the  Spanish  friar  does  not  go  to  confess  him,  but 


Why  the  Friars  are  Hated.  109 

sends  the  Filipino  priest ; and  when  he  dies  without  fu- 
neral fees,  his  corpse  is  often  allowed  to  rot.  and  there 
have  been  cases  where  the  sacristans  of  the  Church  have 
been  ordered  by  the  friar  to  hang-  the  corpse  publicly,  so 
that  the  relatives  may  be  thus  compelled  to  seek  the  fees 
somewhere,  sufficient  to  bury  the  corpse.” 

It  is  needless  to  multiply  proofs.  No  ingenuity  of 
Jesuitical  polemics  can  evade  the  force  of  facts  so  widely 
known.  The  friars  stand  before  the  bar  of  Filipino  judg- 
ment and  conscience  convicted  of  an  insatiable  greed  for 
money. 

4.  Because  of  the  immorality  of  the  majority  of  friars 
who  served  as  parish  priests. 

This  is  the  most  unpleasant  of  all  the  things  I must 
write  of  in  this  book.  It  would  be  acceptable  to  me,  and 
1 doubt  not  to  all  the  readers  of  the  book,  if  it  might  be 
omitted.  But  it  is  “material  to  the  case,”  and  must  be  con- 
sidered if  any  one  would  estimate  this  anti-friar  hatred 
at  its  full  value.  I can  not  but  be  grateful  that  the  facts 
that  I shall  recount  in  proof  of  this  grave  charge  have 
not  been  discovered  and  made  public  by  partial  witnesses. 
Protestant  workers  have  not  had  anything  to  do  with 
either  gathering  the  facts  or  giving  them  their  first  pub- 
licity. That  has  been  done  by  travelers,  Filipino  business 
men.  the  Philippine  Civil  Commission,  and  other  careful 
students  of  Philippine  conditions.  The  same  class  of 
friars  have  similar  records  also  in  Mexico  and  South 
America,  and  in  all  lands  where  they  have  lived  away 
from  journalistic  criticism,  which,  with  all  its  faults,  does 
cause  open  vice  to  cease  where  it  has  free  rein. 

In  Senate  Document  No.  190  is  the  testimony  of  Don 
Felipe  Calderon,  a prominent  lawyer  in  Manila: 

“0.  Now,  as  to  the  morality  of  the  friars,  have  you 
had  much  opportunity  to  observe  this? 


I IO 


The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 


“A.  Considerable,  from  my  earliest  youth.  With  re- 
spect to  their  morality  in  general,  it  was  such  a common 
thing  to  see.  children  of  friars  that  no  one  ever  paid  any 
attention  to  it  or  thought  of  it,  and  so  depraved  had  the 
people  become  in  this  regard  that  the  women  who  were 
the  mistresses  of  friars  felt  great  pride  in  it,  and  had 
no  compunction  in  speaking  of  it.  So  general  had  this 
thing  become  that  it  may  be  said  that,  even  now,  the  rule 
is  for  a friar  to  have  a mistress  and  children,  and  he  who 
has  not  is  the  rare  exception,  and  if  it  is  desired  that  I 
give  names,  I could  cite  right  now  one  hundred  children 
of  friars. 

“Q.  In  Manila,  or  in  the  provinces? 

“A.  In  Manila  and  in  the  provinces.  Everywhere. 
Many  of  my  sweethearts  have  been  daughters  of  friars. 

“Q.  Are  the  friars  living  in  the  islands  still  who  have 
had  those  children  ? 

“A.  Yes;  and  I can  give  their  names,  if  necessary,  and 
I can  give  the  names  of  the  children,  too.  Beginning  with 
myself,  my  mother  is  the  daughter  of  a Franciscan  friar. 
I do  not  dishonor  myself  by  saying  this,  for  my  family 
begins  with  myself. 

“Q.  I will  be  obliged  for  a list. 

“A.  I can  give  it  to  you  right  now:  In  Pandacan  (a 
suburb  of  Manila),  Isidro  Mendoza,  son  of  the  Bishop 
Pedro  Pavo,  when  he  was  the  parish  curate  of  the  pueblo 
of  Samah  ; in  Imus  the  wife  of  Cayetano  Topazio,  daugh- 
ter of  a Recoleto  friar  of  Mindoro;  in  Zambales,  Louise 
Lasaea,  now  in  Zambales,  and  several  sisters  and  broth- 
ers, were  children  of  friar  Benito  Tutor,  a Recoleto  friar 
in  Bulacan ; in  Quingua,  I can  not  remember  the  last 
name,  the  first  name  is  Manuela,  a godchild  of  mv  mother, 
is  the  daughter  of  an  Augustinian  friar  named  Alvaro; 
in  Cavite,  a certain  Patrocinia  Berjes  is  a daughter  of 
friar  Rivas,  a Dominican  friar ; Colonel  Auguillar,  who 
is  on  the  Spanish  Board  of  Liquidation,  is  the  son  of 
Father  Ferrer,  an  Augustinian  monk. 

“Q.  Flow  do  you  know  these  things? 

“A.  In  some  cases,  through  family  relations;  others, 
because  they  were  godchildren  of  my  father;  and  others, 


Why  the  Friars  are  Hated. 


i 1 1 


I became  possessed  of  the  facts  through  being  attorney. 
I myself  have  acted  as  godfather  for  three  children  of 
friars.  I am  now  managing  an  estate  of  $40,000  that  came 
from  a friar  for  his  three  children.  A family  lives  with 
me  who  are  all  the  children  of  friars.  . . . And  woe 

be  unto  him  who  should  ever  murmur  anything  against 
the  friars ; and  even  the  young  Filipino  women  had  their 
senses  perverted  because,  when  attending  school,  they  had 
often  and  often  seen  the  friar  come  in  to  speak  to  their 
openly-avowed  daughters,  who  were  often  their  own 
playmates.” 

The  testimony  of  another  witness  is  given  on  pages 
150  and  1 51  of  the  same  document: 

“0.  Did  not  the  people  become  so  accustomed  to  the 
relations  which  the  friars  had  with  the  women  that  it  really 
paid  [played?]  very  little  part  in  their  hostility  to  the 
friars,  assuming  that  the  hostility  does  exist? 

“A.  That  contributed  somewhat  to  the  hostility  of 
the  people,  and  they  carried  things  in  this  regard  with  a 
very  high  hand;  for  if  they  should  desire  the  wife  or 
daughter  of  a man,  and  the  husband  and  father  opposed 
such  advances,  they  would  endeavor  to  have  the  man  de- 
ported by  bringing  up  false  charges  of  being  a filibuster 
or  a Mason,  and,  after  succeeding  in  getting  rid  of  the 
husband,  they  would,  by  foul  means  or  fair,  accomplish 
their  purpose.  I will  cite  a case  that  actually  happened  to 
us.  It  was  the  case  of  a first  cousin  of  mine,  Dona  So- 
ponce,  who  married  a girl  from  Baliuag,  and  went  to  live 
in  Hagonoy,  and  there  the  local  friar  curate,  who  was  pur- 
suing his  wife,  got  him  the  position  as  registrar  of  the 
Church  in  order  to  have  him  occupied  in  order  that  he 
might  continue  his  advances  with  the  wife.  He  was  for- 
tunate in  this  undertaking,  and  succeeded  in  getting  the 
wife  away  from  the  husband,  and  afterward  had  the  hus- 
band deported  to  Puerta  Princessa.  near  Jolo,  where  he 
was  shot  as  an  insurgent,  and  the  friar  continued  to  live 
with  the  widow,  and  she  bore  him  children.  The  friar’s 
name  is  Jose  Martin,  an  Augustinian  friar. 

“O.  Is  he  still  in  the  islands? 


1 1 2 


The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 


“A.  He  was  an  old  man,  and  he  has  gone  over  to 
Spain.  That  was  in  1891,  1892,  or  1893.  . . . My 
first  cousin  went  to  Archbishop  Nozaleda  with  letters 
which  had  passed  between  the  friar  and  his  wife.  The  let- 
ters were  written  in  cipher  understood  only  by  the  wo- 
man and  the  friar,  and  with  locks  of  his  hrir  and  his  pho- 
tograph, which  has  been  sent  to  his  wife.  My  cousin 
wanted  him  to  discipline  this  man  and  prevent  him  from 
encroaching  upon  his  household.  Archbishop  Nozaleda 
said  that  the  case  was  under  the  jurisdiction  of  the  vicar 
of  the  province,  residing  at  Baliuag,  and  that  was  the  end 
of  the  case.  Nothing  was  ever  done  bv  the  archbishop 
or  the  vicar,  except,  as  I have  said  before,  the  husband 
was  deported  to  Puerto  Princessa.” 

Still  another  witness,  a physician  with  four  years  of 
study  and  residence  in  Europe,  said  in  answer  to  the  ques- 
tion of  the  Commission  : 

“Q.  What  was  the  morality  of  the  parish  priests? 

“A.  There  was  no  morality.  I do  not  know  a single 
one  of  all  those  [friars]  I have  known  in  the  province 
of  Bulacan  who  has  not  violated  his  vow  of  celibacy.  . . . 
Immorality  in  its  train  brings  despotism,  intimidation, 
and  force  to  carry  out  their  desires  and  designs.  . . . 

I do  n’t  deny  there  may  be  exceptions,  but  I have  not 
seen  them  The  large  majority  have  violated  their  vows 
of  celibacy  and  chastity.  For  this  reason  I believe  that 
Protestantism  will  have  a very  good  field  here;  for  one 
reason  only,  and  that  is  that  the  Protestant  ministers 
marry,  and  that  will  eradicate  all  fear  of  attacks  upon 
Filipino  families  on  their  part.”  (Id.  pp.  156,  157.) 

Mr.  John  Foreman’s  book  was  written  ten  years  ago, 
long  before  there  was  the  most  remote  thought  of  Amer- 
ican intervention  and  occupation.  Mr.  Foreman  is  a 
Roman  Catholic.  Here  is  his  testimony  (second  edition, 
page  218)  : 

“There  was  Father  Juan  T , of  Malolos,  whose 

son,  my  friend,  was  a prominent  lawyer.  Father  S , 


Why  the  Friars  are  Hated. 


113 


of  Bugason,  had  a whole  family  living  in  his  parish. 

Archbishop  P had  a daughter,  frequently  seen  on  the 

Paseo  de  Santa  Lucia.  The  late  parish  priest  of  Lipa, 

Father  B , whom  1 knew,  had  a son,  whom  I saw  in 

1893.  The  late  parish  priest  of  Santa  Cruz,  Father 

M L—  — , got  his  spiritual  flock  to  petition  against  his 

being  made  prior  of  his  order  in  Manila,  so  that  he  should 
not  have  to  leave  his  women.  I was  intimately  acquainted, 
and  resided  more  than  once  with  a very  mixed-up  family 
in  the  south  of  Negros  Island.  My  host  was  the  son  of 
a secular  clergyman ; his  wife  and  sister-in-law  were  the 
daughters  of  a friar;  this  sister-in-law  was  the  mistress 
of  a friar ; my  host  had  a son  who  was  married  to  an- 
other friar's  daughter,  and  a daughter  who  was  the  wife 
of  a foreigner.  In  short,  the  bastard  children  of  friars 
are  to  be  found  everywhere  in  the  islands.  Regarding 
this  merely  as  the  natural  outcome  of  the  celibate  rule, 
I wish  thereby  to  show  that  the  pretended  sanctity  of  the 
clergy  in  the  Philippines  was  an  aburdity.  . . 

Again  I call  a halt  in  testimony,  not  because  of  lack 
of  material,  but  because  the  reader  who  will  not  believe 
this  testimony  would  not  be  persuaded  with  any  kind  or 
quantity  that  might  be  cited.  All  that  these  men  sav  is  a 
matter  of  common  knowledge.  And  so  well  have  the 
native  priests  learned  the  lesson,  that  there  are  but  few  of 
them  who  live  pure  lives  to-day.  They  are  now  the  parish 
priests.  In  all  parts  of  the  provinces  where  mv  work 
calls  me  I find  the  native  Filipino  priest  living  immorally. 
I could  give  names  of  towns  and  priests,  but  it  is  not 
necessary.  Catholics  will  shudder  at  the  disclosures  of 
this  chapter ; but  it  is  as  much  to  their  interest  to  know 
these  things  as  it  can  be  to  that  of  any  other  persons. 
They  certainly  can  not  desire  that  the  good  name  of  their 
Church  shall  be  always  dragged  in  the  mire.  They  are 
surely  concerned  to  see  such  a state  of  things  brought  to 
an  end.  It  may  be  severe  medicine,  but  the  patient  is 
8 


The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 


H4 

more  dear  to  them  than  to  us  even,  and  desperate  diseases 
call  for  remedies  that  will  stay  their  course. 

5.  Because  of  despotism  exercised  over  all  classes  of 
people. 

How  despotic  this  friar  rule  was  it  is  difficult  for  those 
of  11s  who  have  always  lived  under  a free  government  to 


PLACE  IN  MANILA  WHERE  SUSPECTS  OF  SPANISH 
GOVERNMENT  WERE  SHOT. 

(Victims  faced  farther  wall,  and  were  shot  in  the  back.  There  was 
rarely  any  trial  held  Scores  of  innocent  people  perished. ) 


understand.  All  civil  as  well  as  all  religious  power  in  the 
pueblo,  or  city,  was  in  the  hands  of  the  parish  priests. 
They  intermeddled  in  all  the  public  and  private  concerns 
of  the  place.  They  were  ex-officio  members  of  all  mu- 
nicipal committees,  and  bv  reason  of  the  fact  that  they 
were  foreigners  and  usually  the  best  educated  men  in  the 


Why  ti-ik  Friars  are  Hated. 


i 15 

place,  they  were  able  to  overawe  the  native  people,  and 
get  their  own  way  in  everything.  Not  a man  could  be 
a candidate  for  municipal  or  provincial  position  without 
the  approval  of  the  friar.  Not  an  election,  duly  carried 
on  by  electors  qualified  under  the  law,  was  final  until  the 
friar  had  approved  the  candidate  receiving  the  requisite 
number  of  votes.  Not  a road  could  be  built  without  the 
O.  K.  of  the  friar.  Burials,  baptism,  funerals,  removals 
from  one  parish  to  another,  promotion,  degradation,  school 
work,  fiestas, — everything  was  in  the  hands  of  the  friar. 
If  the  authorities  in  Manila  wanted  a man’s  private  record 
looked  up,  the  friar  carried  on  secret  inquiries,  not  shrink- 
ing from  using  the  confessional  to  help  out  when  other 
means  of  investigation  failed.  Senor  Pedro  Surano  Lak- 
taw,  a teacher  with  several  years’  study  in  Spain  and  other 
European  countries,  in  his  testimony  before  the  Commis- 
sion, said : 

“One  of  the  most  terrible  arms  that  the  friar  wielded 
in  the  provinces  was  the  secret  investigation  and  report 
upon  the  private  life  and  conduct  of  a person.  For  in- 
stance, if  some  one  had  made  accusations  against  a resi- 
dent of  a pueblo  and  laid  them  before  the  governor-gen- 
eral, he  would  have  private  instructions  sent  to  the  cu- 
rate of  the  town  to  investigate  and  report  upon  the  private 
life  of  that  resident,  stating  that  he  had  been  charged 
with  conspiring  against  Spanish  sovereignty.  This  res- 
ident was  having  his  private  life  investigated  without  any 
notice  to  him  whatever,  and  in  a secret  way.  This  is 
the  secret  of  their  great  political  influence.” 

Senor  Ambrosio  Flores  says  that  the  hatred  of  the 
friars  is  due,  in  part, 

“To  the  haughty,  overbearing,  despotic  manner  of  the 
friars.  Then  there  was  the  fact  of  the  fear  which  beset 
every  man,  even  those  who  through  fear  were  nearest 
to  the  friars,  that  if  his  eyes  should  light  upon  his  wife 


n6  The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 


or  his  daughter  in  an  envious  way,  that  if  he  did  not  give 
them  up  he  was  lost.” 

Mr.  H.  Phelps  Whitmarsh,  who  was  sent  to  the  Philip- 
pines as  the  correspondent  of  The  Outlook,  a journalist, 
and  one  who  was  afterward  chosen  as  the  first  governor 
of  the  Hill  province  of  Benguet,  where  he  now  resides, 
was  asked  by  the  Commission  : 

“Q.  What  grounds  did  they  [the  people  of  the  prov- 
inces visited  by  Mr.  W.]  give  for  their  hostility? 

“A.  Mainly  that  the  priests  held  them  under,  op- 
pressed them,  robbed  them,  and  that  they  used  their 
women  and  daughters  just  as  they  pleased. 

“Q.  Did  you  hear  of  instances  of  deportation  through 
the  agency  of  the  priest? 

“A.  Yes;  I have  heard  that  nobody  was  allowed  in 
certain  sections  to  go  away  from  the  town  without  the 
permit  of  the  friars,  and  that  the  friar  often  sent  him 
away,  and  that  they  were  under  the  thumb  of  the  friar.” 

“Every  abuse  of  the  many  which  finally  led  to  the  two 
revolutions  of  1896  and  1898  was  charged  by  the  people 
to  the  friars.  Whether  they  were  in  fact  to  blame  is  per- 
haps aside  from  our  purpose ; but  it  can  not  admit  of 
contradiction  that  the  autocratic  power  which  each  curate 
exercised  over  the  people  and  civil  officials  of  his  parish 
gave  them  a most  plausible  ground  for  belief  that  noth- 
ing of  injustice,  of  cruelty,  of  oppression,  of  narrowing 
restraint  of  liberty,  was  imposed  on  them  for  which  the 
friar  was  not  entirely  responsible.  His  sacerdotal  func- 
tions were  not,  in  their  eyes,  the  important  ones  except  as 
they  enabled  him  to  clinch  and  make  more  complete  his 
civil  and  political  control.  The  revolutions  against  Spain's 
sovereignty  began  as  movements  against  the  friars.  Such 
was  the  tenor  of  Rizal’s  chief  work,  ‘Noli  Me  Tangere.’ 
The  treaty  of  Biacnabato,  which  ended  the  first  revolu- 
tion, is  said  to  have  contained  the  condition  that  the  friars 
should  he  expelled.  In  the  second  revolution,  as  already 
said,  at  least  forty  friars  were  killed,  and  over  four  hun- 
dred were  imprisoned.  Having  in  view  these  circum- 


Why  the  Friars  are  Hated. 


117 


stances,  the  statement  of  the  bishop  and  friars  that  the 
mass  of  the  people  in  these  islands,  except  only  a few  of 
the  leading  men  of  each  town  and  the  native  clergy,  are 
friendly  to  them,  can  not  be  accepted  as  accurate.  All 
the  evidence  derived  from  every  source,  but  the  friars 
themselves,  shows  clearly  that  the  feeling  of  hatred  for  the 
friars  is  well-nigh  universal,  and  permeates  all  classes.”* 


BINONDO  CHURCH,  MANILA. 

Chapters  could  be  filled  with  evidence  of  this  char- 
acter, and  all  of  it  is  corroborated  by  the  large  facts  of 
recent  social  and  political  upheavals  which  have  taken 
place.  But  there  is  no  need.  There  is  undying  hostility 
in  the  Philippines  against  the  friar.  The  causes  recited 
above  are  those  which  have  chiefly  contributed  to  create 
this  hostility.  Only  in  the  degree  to  which  leaders  in  the 

'^Report  of  the  Civil  Commission  by  Governor  Taft  to  the 
President.  Part  II,  p.  29. 


1 1 8 The  Philippines  and  the  Par  East. 

Catholic  Church  frankly  recognize  the  abuses  which  led 
to  his  bitterness,  and  address  themselves  to  their  removal, 
will  they  win  the  approval  of  thoughtful  men. 

With  what  perfect  fitness  the  ancient  reproof  of 
Ezekiel  comes  to  these  men  who  have  done  good,  who 
have  pioneered  civilization,  and  have  cleansed  heathenism 
out  of  the  Islands,  but  who  have  lost  their  first  love,  and 
wandered  from  their  first  paths  of  humility  and  service : 

“Thus  saith  the  Lord  God  unto  the  shepherds : Woe 
be  to  the  shepherds  of  Israel  that  do  feed  themselves! 
Should  not  the  shepherds  feed  the  flocks?  Ye  eat  the 
fat,  and  ye  clothe  you  with  the  wool,  ye  kill  them  that 
are  fed : but  ye  feed  not  the  flock.  The  diseased  have 
ye  not  strengthened,  neither  have  ye  healed  that  which 
was  sick,  neither  have  ye  bound  up  that  which  was 
broken,  neither  have  ye  brought  again  that  which  was 
driven  away,  neither  have  ye  sought  that  which  was 
lost ; but  with  force  and  with  cruelty  have  ye  ruled  them. 
And  they  were  scattered  because  there  is  no  shepherd: 
and  they  became  meat  to  all  the  beasts  of  the  field,  when 
they  were  scattered.”  (Ezek.  xxxiv,  2-5.) 


CHAPTER  VIII. 


Tiie  Insurrection  of  1896. 

The  insurrection  of  1896  was  only  the  culmination  of  a 
long  series  of  efforts  on  the  part  of  the  Filipino  people 
to  throw  off  the  hated  yoke  of  mediaeval  despotism  im- 
posed upon  them  by  the  Spanish  government,  and  made 
unendurable  by  the  oppressive  administration  of  friars. 
As  far  back  as  1622  the  tyranny  of  the  Church  and  fright- 
ful cruelties  inflicted  upon  the  “Indios”  by  Spanish  offi- 
cials to  compel  them  to  perform  labor  without  pay,  drove 
the  natives  into  a revolt  that  was  only  put  down  by  the  ut- 
most efforts  of  the  government.  In  1660  the  natives  of 
the  province  of  Pampanga  revolted  because  they  were 
compelled  to  perform  service  without  remuneration  in 
erecting  churches,  convents,  and  government  arsenals. 
The  greatest  cruelties  were  committed  upon  them.  If  they 
refused  to  work  they  were  tortured  horribly.  The  whole 
population  was  reduced  to  a condition  of  serfdom,  and 
they  rose  as  one  man,  and  wrung  from  the  government 
some  slight  mitigation  of  their  miseries. 

In  1744  a Jesuit  priest  in  the  island  of  Bohol  caused 
an  uprising  by  his  long-continued  despotism  and  cru- 
elties. He  used  force  to  herd  the  people  to  church  to 
hear  mass.  If  they  were  absent  for  any  cause,  he  had 
the  civil  authorities  put  them  under  arrest,  and  they  were 
fined,  imprisoned,  or  publicly  flogged.  A man  who  had 
been  particularly  hard  for  the  friar  to  manage  in  the  mat- 
ter of  attendance  at  church  died.  The  friar  refused  him 


1 19 


120 


The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 


burial,  and  when  his  friends  would  have  interred  their 
father  and  brother  in  unconsecrated  ground,  the  friar 
compelled  them  to  leave  the  body  unburied,  to  rot  in  the 
sun.  A brother  of  the  dead  man  led  in  an  uprising  in 
which  the  offending  friar  was  paid  in  his  own  coin — 
flogged,  imprisoned,  killed,  and  his  body  left  to  rot  in 
the  sun.  So  successful  were  the  leaders  of  this  revolt  that 
they  maintained  an  independent  government  in  that  en- 
tire island  for  thirty-five  years,  and  only  yielded  their 
independence  when  they  were  satisfied  that  no  Jesuit 
priest  or  other  friar  could  again  enter  the  island  to  live. 

Other  insurrections  there  have  been,  in  1823,  1827. 
1844,  and  the  one  already  mentioned,  that  in  Cavite  in 
1872,  which  was  put  down  with  such  ferocity  that  it  made 
certain  another  and  more  widespread  movement  for 
liberation  from  such  bloodthirsty  rule  as  soon  as  native 
leaders  could  prepare  the  way.  Such  as  survived  the  mas- 
sacre that  followed  that  rising,  and  had  any  means,  fled 
to  Spain.  There  they  started  the  first  systematic  agita- 
tion against  friar  rule  in  their  native  islands.  A news- 
paper named  La  Solidaridad  was  started,  having  for  its 
object  the  enlightenment  of  the  thoughtful  classes  of 
Filipinos  on  affairs  of  government.  This  paper  circu- 
lated extensively  in  the  Philippines,  although  it  was  for- 
bidden entrance.  Some  wise  utterances  were  contained 
in  it,  but  much  that  was  crude  and  passionate  abuse  of  a 
personal  nature.  However,  it  stirred  the  natives  to 
thought.  It  showed  them  that  other  peoples  were  not 
so  bound  down  by  priestly  tyranny.  It  exploded  the  false- 
hoods of  the  friar  leaders.  It  suggested  reforms,  and 
did  a little  something  toward  unifying  public  feeling 
in  and  about  Manila  against  continual  submission  to  the 
injustice  of  the  friars. 


121 


The  Insurrection  of  1896. 

Freemasonry  played  a part  in  the  agitation  which  went 
before  the  insurrection.  Only  in  circles,  every  indi- 
vidual of  which  was  under  a binding  oath  of  secrecy, 
was  it  possible  to  discuss  questions  of  reform.  If  dis- 
cussions were  carried  on  elsewhere,  the  friars  would  cer- 
tainly worm  out  the  facts  as  to  what  was  said  and  what 
was  planned,  through  the  confessional,  or  through  tor- 
ture. In  Manila  it  was  possible  for  some  of  the  more 
wealthy  Filipinos,  or  those  of  the  best  families,  to  secure 
membership  in  the  regular  Masonic  lodge.  There  they 
mingled  with  Spaniards  on  equal  footing.  There  they 
saw  the  advantage  which  an  oath-bound  society  would 
give  them  in  the  agitation  which  they  had  determined  in 
their  hearts  to  carry  on  until  the  time  was  ripe  for  strik- 
ing a blow  for  the  betterment  of  their  conditions.  For 
they  had  not  the  most  remote  idea  of  attempting  to  throw 
oft"  the  Spanish  sovereignty;  and  the  idea  of  political  inde- 
pendence was  not  only  not  discussed,  it  was  not  thought 
of.  Out  of  this  conviction  as  to  the  advantage  of  an 
oath-bound  society  the  members  of  which  would  not  di- 
vulge its  plans  to  priest  or  official  on  pain  of  death 
at  the  hands  of  other  members,  the  Katipunan  was 
formed.  The  word  simply  means  “league."  The  signifi- 
cant step  in  becoming  a member,  aside  from  taking  its 
oath,  was  to  sign  its  constitution  in  blood  drawn  from 
the  arm  or  leg  of  the  signer.  From  this  the  society 
has  been  sometimes  called  the  Bloody  League.  The 
growth  of  this  society  was  phenomenal.  Membership 
lists  were  made  up,  and  lodges  organized  in  nearly  every 
city  in  central  Luzon,  and  in  some  places  farther  north. 

Entire  secrecy  was  impossible.  Add  the  confessional 
to  all  other  means  of  ferreting  out  hidden  social  forces 
and  factors,  and  you  have  an  almost  irresistible  enginery 


122 


The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 


of  investigation.  Rumors  of  something  wrong  were  in 
the  air.  Stern  orders  went  from  the  archbishop  in  Manila 
to  all  parish  priests  to  get  information  as  to  these  “Free 
Masons.”  Denunciations  and  deportations  by  the  hun- 
dred quickly  followed.  Parish  priests,  knowing  that  this 
presented  a chance  to  settle  old  scores  and  get  in  line  for 
promotion  at  the  same  time,  sent  in  lists  of  names,  which 
were  acted  upon,  and  banishments  became  common.  In 
Malolos,  Father  Moises  Santos  secured  the  banishment 
of  the  entire  list  of  municipal  officials  to  African  colonies. 
Trials  were  not  even  mentioned.  Let  a parish  priest 
send  in  a list  of  alleged  “Free  Masons,”  and  they  were 
promptly  deported.  Hundreds  of  families  were  deprived 
of  father  and  husband  and  brother  without  warning,  with- 
out even  the  semblance  of  judicial  process.  Excitement 
and  burning  resentment  were  felt  everywhere. 

An  acquaintance  of  mine  living  in  the  province  of 
Tarlac  was  one  of  the  thousands  who  were  tortured  with 
the  hope  of  getting  evidence  as  to  the  plans  of  the  “Free 
Masons”  in  his  pueblo.  He  was  a member  of  the  Kati- 
punan,  and  one  of  its  leading  officers,  being  a man  of 
much  native  ability  and  unusual  force  of  character.  He 
was  invited  to  the  convento,  or  parsonage,  of  the  friar 
for  a friendly  visit.  While  seated  in  an  upper  room  await- 
ing the  friar’s  entrance  from  his  room  adjoining,  a posse 
of  armed  men  rushed  in  and  compelled  him  to  submit  to 
be  searched.  The  friar  came  at  the  exact  moment  that 
the  soldiers  entered,  and  personally  conducted  the  search 
of  his  person  for  incriminating  papers.  Nothing  was 
found.  He  was  then  told  that  he  must  tell  all  he  knew  of 
the  society,  or  be  so  punished  that  his  life  would  not  be 
worth  a centavo’s  purchase-.  He  refused,  and  was  tied 
by  the  soldiers  to  a heavy  hardwood  bench,  and  the  friar 
ordered  him  flogged  on  the  bare  back.  He  was  so  beaten 


OLD  SPANISH  GUNS  ON  THE  WALL,  MANILA. 


The  Insurrection  of  1896. 


125 


until  he  fainted  through  pain  and  loss  of  blood.  After 
he  recovered  he  was  given  another  opportunity  to  tell 
what  he  knew,  with  the  same  result.  The  friar  then 
ordered  him  hung  to  the  rafters  bv  his  thumbs,  his  toes 
barely  touching  the  floor.  He  was  left  in  this  position  for 
more  than  an  hour,  and  let  down  to  tell  what  he  knew. 
All  night  one  form  or  another  of  torture  was  used  on  this 
poor  wretch — one  of  the  leading  men  of  the  place — and 
only  in  the  early  dawn  did  he  escape  by  feigning  death 
so  long  as  to  put  his  tormentors  off  their  guard.  With 
a lacerated  back,  with  one  rib  broken,  and  hands  and  arms 
horribly  cut  and  swollen,  he  leaped  from  a second  story 
window  and  effected  his  escape  to  thick  underbrush  near 
at  hand,  and  thence  to  a village  in  the  mountains,  where 
he  was  concealed  until  the  insurrection  had  flamed  out 
into  open  war.  In  that  war  he  became  one  of  the  coolest 
and  most  relentless  fighters  to  be  found  among  Filipino 
officers.  He  showed  me  the  scars  of  his  torture.  The 
wonder  is  that  he  survived. 

Finally  the  confessional  triumphed  over  the  oaths  of 
the  Katipunan.  The  parish  priest  of  Tondo,  Manila,  a 
friar,  gave  the  government  its  first  clear  word  as  to  the 
nature  and  extent  of  the  movement.  His  name  was 
Mariano  Gil.  The  first  move  was  to  have  been  made  on 
the  20th  of  August,  1896,  but  a member  of  the  Katipunan, 
or  League,  told  all  he  knew  on  condition  of  receiving  full 
pardon,  just  in  the  nick  of  time.  A woman  with  whom  he 
was  living  opened  the  way  for  his  confession. 

“Within  an  hour  the  Civil  Guard  was  in  motion,  on 
the  track  of  the  alleged  prime  movers.  Three  hundred 
supposed  disaffected  persons  were  seized  in  Manila  and 
the  provinces  of  Pampanga  and  Bulacan  within  a few 
days,  and,  a large  number  being  brought  in  daily,  the 
prisons  were  soon  crowded  to  excess.  . . . Among 


126  The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 


the  first  to  be  seized  were  many  of  the  richest  and  most 
prominent  men  in  the  colony,  and  the  cream  of  Manila 
society.  There  was  intense  excitement  in  the  capital  as 
their  names  gradually  leaked  out.  No  one  who  possessed 
wealth  was  safe.” 

General  Blanco,  the  governor,  had  but  fifteen  hundred 
regular  Spanish  troops  in  the  Philippines,  and  these  could 
not  all  be  brought  to  Manila,  or  even  to  the  vicinity  of 
Manila.  The  native  troops  could  not  be  relied  upon  to 
fight  against  their  own  countrymen  in  a rising  of  that 
nature,  and  the  wise  old  strategist  endured  the  storm  of 
friar  wrath  at  his  inactivity,  and  cabled  for  troops  and 
guns  and  ammunition  with  which  to  carry  on  effective 
operations.  But  the  friars  were  dissatisfied.  Blanco  was 
too  humane.  He  would  not  apply  torture  as  the  arch- 
bishop, Nozaleda,  deemed  necessary.  Therefore  the  cable- 
gram mentioned  in  an  earlier  chapter,  stating  that  his 
“inactivity  is  inexplicable.”  General  Polaviaja.  the  idol 
of  friardom,  was  appointed  immediately,  and  on  his  ar- 
rival the  carnage  began  in  dead  earnest.  By  that  time 
Spain  had  ten  thousand  troops  at  his  command,  and  am- 
munition in  vast  quantities. 

Meantime  the  insurrection  had  made  great  headway. 
All  the  center  of  Luzon  was  overrun.  The  first  bloodshed 
was  in  San  Juan  del  Monte,  a Manila  suburb.  It  took 
place  about  4 A.  M.,  Sunday,  August  30,  1896.  The  in- 
surgents sought  to  secure  possession  of  a powder  maga- 
zine at  that  place.  They  had  poor  leadership,  and  were 
beaten  off  with  severe  loss,  and  their  leader,  Valenzuela, 
was  shot  with  four  others  on  the  Luneta,  Manila,  on  the 
4th  of  September.  More  than  five  hundred  military  pris- 
oners were  shot  on  that  same  ground,  immediately  hack 
of  the  house  in  which  this  book  is  written,  and  less  than 
a half  mile  away,  during  the  opening  months  of  the  in- 


The  Insurrection  ok  1896. 


127 


surrection.  The  Luneta  is  the  only  bit  of  park  in  Manila 
fronting  the  bay.  These  men,  and  all  others  so  executed, 
were  made  to  kneel  on  the  bay  side  of  a square,  three  sides 
of  which  were  made  up  of  Spanish  and  native  troops. 
They  were  blindfolded,  and  had  their  arms  pinioned. 
They  knelt  on  the  open  side  of  the  square  of  troops, 
facing  the  bay,  with  their  backs  to  the  firing  squad.  The 
officer  in  command  always  used  the  following  formula, 
proclaiming  it  in  a loud  voice  at  each  corner  of  the  square: 

“In  the  name  of  the  king!  Whosoever  shall  raise  his 
voice  to  crave  clemency  for  the  condemned  shall  suffer 
death.” 

The  sixteen  members  of  the  firing  party  divided  into 
fours,  and  took  their  places  about  fifteen  feet  behind  the 
prisoners.  When  the  quick  lowering  of  the  officer's  sword 
gave  signal  to  fire,  the  simultaneous  crack  of  rifles  would 
ring  out  over  the  quiet  bay ; the  bullets,  having  passed 
clean  through  the  bodies  of  the  condemned,  would  kick 
up  tufts  of  grass  in  front,  and  the  bodies  slowly  settle  in 
the  abandon  of  death. 

Crowds  of  natives  swarmed  into  the  city  of  Manila  as 
the  safest  place  in  the  storm  that  was  rapidly  rising.  The 
province  of  Cavite  proved  the  center  of  the  typhoon  of 
insurrection.  Aguinaldo,  at  that  time  a schoolteacher  in 
Silan,  now  comes  into  notice.  On  the  31st  of  August  his 
first  proclamation  saw  the  light.  It  was  of  little  impor- 
tance, being  mostlv  a heated  bit  of  denunciation,  and  quite 
destitute  of  plan  or  suggestions  of  a practical  nature. 
Imus,  a friar  center,  where  one  of  their  haciendas  is 
located,  was  chosen  as  the  center  for  the  insurrecto  forces. 
They  barricaded  the  place.  They  captured  thirteen  friars. 
One  of  these  was  slowly  cut  up  piecemeal  in  public  amid 
tremendous  applause  from  thousands  whose  personal 
property  or  family  rights  had  been  trampled  upon  by 


128  The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 

friars.  Another  was  saturated  with  kerosene  oil  and  set 
on  fire,  and  a third  was  bathed  in  oil  and  roasted  over  a 
slow  fire  on  a bamboo  pole  run  through  the  length  of  his 
body.  I do  not  mention  these  instances  of  atrocities  com- 
mitted against  friars  because  I approve  or  even  condone 
them.  They  are  facts,  and  they  tell  beyond  all  hope  of 
successful  refutation  of  the  terrible  hatred  borne  the  friars 
by  Filipino  people  as  a whole.  What  was  done  to  these 
friars  would  have  been  done  to  all  if  they  could  have  been 
seized  in  the  early  days  of  the  insurrection.  There  seems 
to  be  no  sufficient  reason  for  thinking  that  Aguinaldo 
ordered  these  murders,  or  sympathized  with  them.  He 
treated  such  friars  and  women  as  fell  into  the  hands  of 
troops  under  his  immediate  control  with  a degree  of 
humanity. 

On  November  loth,  Blanco  attempted  to  dislodge  the 
insurgents  at  Novaleta,  and  was  repulsed  with  great 
slaughter.  At  Imus  also,  later,  the  insurgents  defeated 
a large  force  sent  to  drive  them  from  their  intrenchments. 
In  provinces  north  of  Manila  the  Spanish  troops  had  more 
success,  and  kept  the  slender  insurrection  forces  on  the 
move.  In  Manila  the  torture,  imprisonment,  banishment, 
and  shooting  went  on  at  a rate  awful  to  contemplate.  On 
October  1st  three  hundred  men  were  sent  into  banishment 
to  African  penal  stations,  most  of  whom  never  came  back. 
Prisoners  were  sent  to  Manila  bound  hand  and  foot,  and 
hoisted  out  of  shipholds  bv  chains  as  so  much  freight. 
Extortion  was  practiced  by  the  court  martial  established 
to  examine  suspected  persons.  Foreman  tells  of  persons 
tortured  until  they  were  maimed  for  life,  and  then  set  at 
liberty  on  payment  of  large  sums  of  money.  More  than 
seventy  prisoners,  all  mere  suspects,  were  confined  in  a 
small,  filthy  dungeon  under  the  city  wall  of  Fort  Santiago. 
The  dungeon  communicated  with  the  river  by  a narrow 


9 


AX  INSURRECTO  COLONEL. 


129 


The  Insurrection  of  1896.  131 

grating,  and  was  filled  when  the  tide  rose.  These  seventy 
prisoners,  men  and  women,  were  packed  into  this  damp, 
loathsome  hole,  and  drowned  like  rats  in  a trap.  It  was 
the  “Black  Hole”  of  Manila. 

A common  torture  at  that  time  was  to  tie  the  hands 
behind  the  victim  and  hang  him  by  his  hands,  thus  twist- 
ing the  shoulders  into  a position  that  caused  the  most 
horrible  agony.  They  would  then  be  cut  down,  falling 
suddenly,  and  often  dying  where  they  fell  from  exhaus- 
tion, pain,  and  the  sudden  drop  upon  a floor  of  stone. 
Another  common  punishment  for  those  from  whom  they 
wished  to  wring  testimony  was  to  compel  them  to  stand 
barefooted  over  a brazier  of  hot  coals  until  the  flesh  was 
cooked  on  the  soles  of  their  feet.  In  the  terrible  beatings 
administered  to  suspects  to  extract  evidence  a broken  rib 
or  an  eye  put  out.  or  even  a broken  arm,  was  too  insignifi- 
cant to  be  worthy  of  mention. 

In  the  field  the  royal  troops  took  no  prisoners.  They 
killed  even  the  wounded  that  lay  groaning  on  the  field 
after  victory  had  been  won.  Near  Polo  a large  number 
of  non-combatants,  men  and  women,  came  out  to  assure 
the  troops  of  their  submission,  and  they  were  massacred 
as  they  knelt.  Mercy  and  justice  were  forgotten,  and  an 
apparently  insatiable  thirst  for  blood  had  taken  possession 
of  the  defenders  of  Spanish  sovereignty.  Not  a syllable 
of  protest  against  any  of  this  ferocity  was  heard  from 
friars.  They  were  sponsors  of  a policy  of  severity. 

General  Polavieja  arrived  in  Manila  in  December, 
1896.  He  had  all  the  dry  season  ahead  of  him.  He  im- 
mediately put  the  troops  in  motion,  and  the  history  of  the 
insurrection  from  this  point  on  until  its  close  is  a sicken- 
ing monotony  of  guerrilla  warfare,  blood,  executions, 
deportations,  and  all  the  time  the  sky  is  aflame  with  burn- 
ing cities  in  all  directions.  The  advantage  is  now  with 


152  The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 

this  party,  and  now  with  that.  There  were  no  really  great 
battles,  but  the  superior  training  and  arms  of  Spanish 
regulars  told  in  the  long  run,  and  the  cause  of  the  insur- 
rection lost  slowly,  as  the  months  dragged  along. 

In  the  early  part  of  1897  General  Primo  de  Rivera 
relieved  Palovieja  as  governor.  In  July  he  issued  an 
order  giving  ten  days  for  all  persons  not  rebels  to  report 
to  military  commanders  and  receive  a special  cedilla  per- 
sonal, or  paper  of  the  nature  of  a passport,  or  they  would 
all  be  treated  as  rebels.  This  reacted  in  favor  of  the  in- 
surrectos.  Crowds  who  had  not  taken  up  arms  before 
flocked  to  the  insurrecto  camps.  The  rebels  responded 
with  a proclamation,  the  demands  of  which  are  of  suffi- 
cient importance  to  be  given  in  full.  It  shows  their  aim 
at  that  time.  It  tells  how  far  they  had  succeeded  in  se- 
curing it.  It  should  be  carefully  studied  by  such  good 
people  as  have  been  led  to  believe  that  the  Filipino  people 
were  fighting  for  political  independence : 

“to  the  brave  sons  oe  the  Philippines: 

“We  ardently  desire, — . . . 

“i.  Expulsion  of  the  friars  and  restitution  to  the  town- 
ships of  the  lands  which  the  friars  have  appropriated, 
dividing  the  incumbencies  held  by  them  as  well  as  the 
episcopal  sees  equally  between  peninsular  and  insular 
secular  priests.  [By  secular  priests  they  mean  priests 
who  are  not  members  of  monastic  orders.] 

“2.  Spain  must  concede  to  11s,  as  she  has  done  to  Cuba, 
Parliamentary  representation,  freedom  of  the  press,  tol- 
eration of  all  religious  sects,  laws  common  with  hers,  and 
administrative  and  economic  autonomy. 

“3.  Equality  in  treatment  and  pay  between  peninsular 
and  insular  civil  servants. 

“4.  Restitution  of  all  lands  appropriated  by  the  friars 
to  the  townships  or  to  the  original  owners,  or,  in  default 
of  finding  such  owners,  the  State  is  to  put  them  up 


I'm-;  Insurrection  of  1896. 


i33 


to  public  action,  in  small  lots  of  a value  within  the  reach 
of  all,  and  payable  within  four  years,  the  same  as  the 
present  State  lands. 

“5.  Abolition  of  the  government  authorities’  power 
to  banish  citizens,  as  well  as  all  unjust  measures  against 
Filipinos;  legal  equality  of  all  persons,  whether  peninsular 
or  insular,  under  the  civil  as  well  as  under  the  penal  code. 

“The  war  must  be  prolonged  to  give  the  greatest 
signs  of  vitality  possible,  so  that  Spain  may  be  compelled 
to  grant  our  demands ; otherwise  she  will  consider  us  an 
effete  race  and  curtail  rather  than  extend  our  rights. 

(Signed)  “Malabar.” 

Rivera  was  anxious  to  close  the  war,  and  he  called 
into  his  service  a lawyer  in  Manila,  Sehor  Pedro  A. 
Paterno.  Paterno  played  with  both  parties.  He  found 
the  rebels  in  small  numbers  fairly  well  intrenched  north 
of  Manila,  but  in  great  straits  for  ammunition,  and  even 
food.  The  Spanish  army  was  little  better  off.  He 
represented  to  the  rebels  that  Rivera  was  expecting  Spain 
to  send  him  twenty  thousand  more  troops,  with  full  sup- 
plies of  cannon,  ammunition,  and  supplies  of  all  kinds, 
and  that  for  a money  consideration  he  was  certain  the 
war  could  be  ended.  To  Governor  Rivera  he  represented 
that  Aguinaldo’s  force  numbered  nearly  one  hundred 
thousand  men,  well  furnished  with  ammunition  and  sup- 
plies, and  fortified  beyond  hope  of  successful  attack.  At 
last,  on  condition  of  many  reforms  being  granted,  and 
on  the  agreement  of  Rivera  to  pay  $800,000  (Mexican) 
in  installments,  the  insurgent  leaders  agreed  to  give  up 
the  war,  and  leave  the  islands.  The  treaty  was  nego- 
tiated by  Sehor  Paterno,  and  is  known  as  the  Treaty  of 
Biac-na-Bato,  from  the  cave  in  the  hills  near  Angat, 
Bulacan,  where  it  was  signed.  Emilio  Aguinaldo  signed 
for  the  insurrectos,  and  Paterno  for  the  governor,  from 
whom  he  carried  authority.  Governor  Rivera  acceded 


134  The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 

to  the  demand  of  Aguinaldo  that  a Spanish  officer  of 
high  rank  should  accompany  the  insurgent  leaders  to 
Hong-Kong  as  a guarantee  of  good  faith.  He  also  sent 
a personal  representative  to  meet  the  exiled  leaders,  and 
at  a banquet  Aguinaldo  gave  Spain  hearty  cheers.  They 
sailed  from  Sual,  Pangasinan  province,  for  Hong-Kong, 
where  the  payments  of  money  were  made,  and  the  in- 
surrection was  at  an  end. 


MORO  HOUSES,  JOLO. 


CHAPTER  IX. 


The  American  Occupation. 

An  extended  account  of  the  successive  campaigns 
leading  to  control  of  the  Philippines  by  the  United  States 
is  not  within  the  scope  of  this  work.  That  may  be 
safely  left  to  other  writers.  Only  with  that  portion  of 
American  occupation  which  partisan  and  ignorant  writers 
have  so  mischievously  misrepresented  to  the  prejudice 
of  public  sympathy  with  the  work  our  nation  is  doing 
here,  shall  I concern  myself.  With  the  record  of  some 
men  in  the  American  army  in  the  Philippines  I could 
find  many  flaws.  Possibly  flaws  which  even  furious 
critics  in  America  have  never  heard  of  could  be  pointed 
out.  But  with  the  record  of  the  American  army  as  an 
organization,  and  with  its  achievements  on  behalf  of  this 
downtrodden  and  helpless  people  I must  speak  with  en- 
thusiastic praise.  When  “the  youngest  critic’'  has  said 
his  last  and  his  worst,  it  still  remains  true  that  the  net 
result  of  American  valor  in  the  Philippines  is  the  freeing 
of  seven  millions  of  people  from  a hopeless  tyranny,  to 
become  a nation ! All  that  the  governor,  the  commis- 
sion, the  schoolmaster,  the  civil  judge,  and  the  mission- 
ary are  attempting  would  have  been  impossible  without 
the  work  of  the  soldier.  Some  cruelties  there  were. 
Nearly  all  that  were  proven  to  have  taken  place  were 
committed  in  defiance  of  orders,  in  remote  places,  and 
under  provocation  such  as  only  pens  dipped  in  blood 
could  describe.  But  these  were  eddies  in  the  current. 


i35 


136  The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 


The  main  stream  of  military  administration  in  the  Phil- 
ippines has  been  humane.  Some  minds  forever  miss 
currents,  and  get  caught  in  eddies.  From  that  class  of 
mind  every  great  cause  in  our  history,  and  all  of  our 
great  leaders,  have  had  to  endure  opposition  and  abuse. 
But  the  calm  verdict  of  history  has  set  things  straight, 
as  it  will  do  in  the  case  of  our  military  record  in  these 
Elands. 

War  was  practically  declared  on  April  21,  1898.  On 
the  24th  of  April  the  following  order  was  flashed  from 
Washington  to  our  Asiatic  squadron : 

“Dewey,  Hong-Kong: 

“War  has  commenced  between  the  United  States  and 
Spain.  Proceed  at  once  to  the  Philippine  Islands.  Com- 
mence operations  at  once,  particularly  against  the  Spanish 
fleet.  You  must  capture  vessels  or  destroy.  Use  utmost 
endeavors.  Long.” 

On  May  1st  Commodore  Dewey  sank  the  entire 
Spanish  fleet  in  Manila  Bay,  without  the  loss  of  a man 
or  serious  injury  to  a single  one  of  his  ships.  So  singu- 
larly complete  and  overwhelming  was  the  victory  that 
devout  students  of  the  bloody  bistory  of  Spain  in  this 
colony  can  not  refrain  from  believing  that  the  God  of 
nations  helped  mightily.  The  words  of  Psalm  ii,  9, 
come  forcibly  to  mind:  “Thou  shalt  break  them  with  a 
rod  of  iron  ; thou  shalt  dash  them  in  pieces  like  a potter’s 
vessel.”  This  was  literally  done  in  that  marvelous  sea- 
fight.  History  furnishes  no  parallel.  The  “rod  of  iron” 
did  its  awful  work,  and  so  easily  was  it  done  that  no 
scar  was  left,  and  the  hand  that  wielded  it  was  unin- 
jured. 

The  report  of  the  battle  is  made  with  the  modesty 
which  real  greatness  always  shows  in  the  hour  of 
triumph : 


The  American  Occupation. 


i37 


“The  squadron  arrived  at  Manila  at  daybreak  this 
morning.  Immediately  engaged  the  enemy  and  destroyed 
the  following  Spanish  vessels:  Reina  Christina,  Castilla, 
Don  Antonio  dc  Ulloa,  Don  Juan  dc  Austria,  Isla  dc 
Luzon,  Isla  dc  Cuba,  General  Lezo,  Marquis  del  Ducro, 
El  Curreo , Velasco,  one  transport,  Isla  dc  Mindanao,  wa- 
ter battery  at  Cavite.  I shall  destroy  Cavite  arsenal  dis- 
pensatory. The  squadron  is  uninjured.  Few  men  were 
slightly  wounded.  I request  the  department  will  send 
immediately  from  San  Francisco  fast  steamer  with  ammu- 
nition. The  only  means  of  telegraphing  is  to  the  Amer- 
ican consul  at  Hong-Kong.  Dewey.” 

Since  the  raising  of  the  ships  that  went  to  the  bottom 
that  May  morning,  certain  criticisms  have  been  made 
to  the  effect  that  the  Spanish  commanders  had  poor 
vessels  and  poorer  guns,  and  that  they  sunk  the  vessels 
themselves  by  opening  the  sea-cocks.  What  are  the 
facts?  The  Spanish  fleet  had  the  steel  cruiser  Reina 
Christina,  the  steel  protected  cruisers  Isla  dc  Luzon  and 
Isla  de  Cuba,  and  the  iron  cruiser  Don  Juan  dc  Austria, 
all  built  within  a year  of  the  time  the  Baltimore,  Con- 
cord, and  Petrel  were  constructed.  Their  crews  num- 
bered 1,875  against  1,709  of  our  fleet.  This  takes  no 
account  of  the  gunners  in  the  five  shore  batteries,  which 
joined  with  the  fleet  in  firing  upon  the  attacking  squad- 
ron. They  had  on  their  ships  fourteen  modern  six-inch 
guns  and  twenty-two  five-inch  guns,  and  yet  at  a range 
narrowing  down  from  3,500  to  2,000  yards  not  a vessel 
of  our  fleet  was  materially  injured. 

Admiral  Montojo  silences  all  such  criticism  by  his 
official  account  of  the  fight  in  so  far  as  it  affected  his 
flagship,  the  Reina  Christina.  A part  of  that  report  is 
as  follows : 

“The  enemy  shortened  the  distance  between  us,  and, 
rectifying  his  aim,  covered  us  with  a rain  of  rapid-fire 


138  The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 


projectiles.  At  7.30  one  shell  completely  destroyed  the 
steering-gear.  I ordered  to  steer  by  hand  while  the  rud- 
der was  out  of  action.  In  the  meanwhile  another  shell 
exploded  on  the  poop  and  put  out  of  action  nine  men. 
Another  destroyed  the  mizzen-masthead,  bringing  down 
the  flag  and  my  ensign,  which  were  replaced  immediately. 
A further  shell  exploded  in  the  officers’  cabin,  covering 
the  hospital  with  blood,  and  destroying  the  wounded  who 
were  being  treated  there.  Another  exploded  in  the  am- 
munition-room astern,  filling  the  quarters  with  smoke 
and  preventing  the  working  of  the  hand  steering-gear. 
As  it  was  impossible  to  control  the  fire,  I had  to  flood  the 
magazine  when  the  cartridges  were  beginning  to  explode. 
Immediately  amidships  several  shells  of  smaller  caliber 
went  through  the  smokestack,  and  one  of  the  large  ones 
penetrated  the  fireroom,  putting  out  of  action  one  master 
gunner  and  twelve  men  serving  the  guns.  Another 
rendered  useless  the  starboard  bow  gun ; while  the  fire 
astern  increased,  fire  was  started  forward  by  another 
shell,  which  went  through  the  hull,  and  exploded  on  deck. 
The  broadside  guns  being  undamaged,  continued  firing 
until  there  were  only  one  gunner  and  one  seaman  remain- 
ing unhurt  for  firing  them.” 

The  position  in  which  Admiral  Dewey  found  him- 
self was  one  calling  for  great  wisdom.  Before  him  lay 
Manila,  helpless.  From  our  consul.  Oscar  F.  Williams, 
whose  knowledge  of  the  bay  and  its  defenses  had  been 
of  such  value  in  the  beginning,  he  learned  the  facts  set 
forth  in  our  last  chapter.  From  him  he  learned  also  that 
the  purchased  peace  had  been  of  brief  duration.  The 
insurrection  which  a Spanish  governor  had  bought  off 
for  $800,000,  had  flamed  up  again,  as  promises  made 
in  the  treaty  of  Biac-na-Bato  were  not  kept,  and  half 
the  sympathizers  with  the  insurrection  felt  that  they  had 
been  betrayed  by  their  leaders.  Without  funds,  with 
few  experienced  leaders,  and  with  but  faint  hopes  of 
success,  these  ragged,  desperate  men  had  once  more 


TEMPORARY  HOSPITAL  AND  BARRACKS,  SANTA  MESA,  MANILA. 


The  American  Occupation. 


141 

taken  the  field,  determined  to  secure  the  reforms  for 
which  the  people  clamored,  and  which  were  necessary 
as  the  condition  of  decent  existence.  The  naval  com- 
mander there  in  Manila  Bay  knew  of  the  awful  condi- 
tions prevailing  in  the  Islands.  He  knew  that  a perfect 
reign  of  terror  had  existed  in  the  Archipelago  for  years. 
He  knew  that  all  the  reasons  which  drove  11s  to  inter- 
fere in  the  case  of  Cuba  were  in  operation  here.  He 
had  heard  from  our  consul,  and  others,  of  the  inhuman- 
ities, the  martyrdoms,  the  deportations,  the  anarchy  and 
ruin  that  prevailed  on  shore.  Knowing  all  this,  he  felt 
that  his  government  would  probably  feel  compelled  to 
follow  up  his  annihilation  of  the  Spanish  fleet  by  the 
capture  of  the  Archipelago. 

Aguinaldo  was  at  Singapore.  He  begged  to  be  al- 
lowed to  come  to  Manila.  Our  consul  there,  Mr.  E. 
Spencer  Pratt,  believed  that  his  exact  knowledge  of 
the  topography  about  Manila,  of  means  of  transporta- 
tion, and  all  matters  relating  to  military  movements, 
should  they  be  ordered,  would  be  of  great  service  to 
the  American  forces.  Aguinaldo  came  to  Manila  via 
Hong-Kong  with  Dewey’s  permission.  He  gave  Con- 
sul Rounseville  Wildman  in  Hong-Kong  two  pledges. 
— (1)  that  he  would  ‘“obey  unquestioninglv  the  com- 
mander of  the  United  States  forces  in  the  Philippine 
Islands;”  and  (2)  that  he  would  “carry  on  his  military 
movements  on  civilized  lines.” 

Aguinaldo  was  not  “recognized”  as  the  head  of  an 
insurgent  force,  and  permitted  to  return  to  the  Islands 
as  such.  As  a private  person  in  possession  of  informa- 
tion likely  to  be  valuable  in  further  military  operations, 
should  they  be  deemed  necessary,  he  was  permitted  to 
come  to  Manila,  and  then  only  on  the  conditions  already 
set  forth.  He  was  permitted  to  land,  and  provided 


142  The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 

with  some  guns  and  ammunition.  Fie  was  an  enemy 
of  our  enemy.  He  was  under  pledge  of  unquestioning 
obedience.  Xo  thought  entered  the  mind  of  any  one 
concerned  that  we  would  have  trouble  with  the  Fili- 
pinos. They  and  we  were  at  one  in  an  attempt  to  over- 
throw Spanish  supremacy. 

But  no  sooner  had  Aguinaldo  seen  some  of  his  old 
comrades  in  arms,  and  discovered  the  vitality  that  ex- 
isted in  the  Filipino  movement  against  Spain,  than  his 
ambition  burned  up  with  such  heat  that  his  pledges  were 
consumed.  Almost  immediately  he  proclaimed  “inde- 
pendence” in  such  towns  as  he  had  overrun,  with  arms 
furnished  him,  and  still  owned  by  “the  commander  of 
the  United  States  forces  in  the  Philippines.”  Xo  baser 
case  of  ingratitude  and  bad  faith  was  even  seen  in  all 
our  long  Indian  wars  in  the  West.  And  this  was  but 
the  beginning.  From  that  time  until  his  capture  bv 
Colonel  Funston  his  record  was  in  complete  accord  with 
these  first  steps.  Pages  of  evidence  taken  by  the  Schur- 
man  Commission,  and  printed  in  Volume  II  of  their 
report  (p.  381,  et  scq.),  are  fairly  summarized  in  the 
following  four  points : 

(1)  That  Aguinaldo  was  helped  to  arms  on  the  un- 
derstanding that  he  was  to  use  them  entirely  under 
American  direction  in  weakening  Spanish  power.  (2) 
That  no  sooner  had  he  gathered  a force  about  him  than 
he  broke  out  into  inexcusable  insubordination  against 
the  man  and  the  forces  to  whose  presence  and  gift  of 
arms  he  was  entirely  indebted  for  his  ability  to  return 
to  the  Philippines,  and  to  take  up  a warlike  attitude 
toward  his  former  enemy.  (3)  That  hostility  to  the 
Americans  was  settled  upon  in  his  own  mind  long  be- 
fore they  had  had  time  or  opportunity  to  formulate  or 
declare  any  policy  for  the  Philippines.  (4)  That  per- 


The  American  Occupation. 


03 


sonal  ambition  was  the  ruling  motive  with  him  in  that 
early  stage  of  the  embroilment. 

Much  of  this  testimony  is  given  by  Senor  Benito  L,e- 
garda,  for  a few  months  one  of  Aguinaldo's  officials, 
and  now  one  of  the  members  of  the  Civil  Commission. 

Meantime  the  question  of  what  to  do  with  the  Phil- 
ippines was  the  one  which  perplexed  our  authorities  in 
Washington.  President  McKinley  faced  it,  and  sought 
advice  from  all  parties.  Perhaps  the  fullest  unofficial 
statement  he  ever  made  of  the  way  his  own  conclusion 
to  hold  the  Islands  was  reached  is  contained  in  his  ad- 
dress to  a committee  of  clergymen,  as  reported  in  the 
Christian  Advocate  by  General  James  F.  Rusling.  Gen- 
eral Rusling  was  a member  of  a committee  from  a re- 
ligious gathering  in  Washington  to  present  resolutions 
of  thanks  to  President  McKinley  for  courtesies  shown 
its  members,  and,  with  Bishop  Thomas  Bowman,  Bishop 
John  F.  Hurst,  and  Drs.  Uphant  and  Buckley,  met  the 
President  by  appointment  in  his  private  office  in  the 
White  House  for  that  purpose,  November  21,  1899. 
After  a pleasant  interview  the  members  of  the  committee 
rose  to  take  their  leave.  The  President  detained  them 
to  give  the  following  statement : 

“Before  you  go  I would  like  to  say  just  a word  about 
the  Philippine  business.  I have  been  criticised  a good 
deal  about  the  Philippines,  but  do  n't  deserve  it.  Tbe 
truth  is,  I did  n't  want  the  Philippines,  and  when  they 
came  to  us,  as  a gift  from  the  gods,  I did  not  know  what 
to  do  with  them.  When  the  Spanish  War  broke  out, 
Dewey  was  at  Hong-Kong,  and  I ordered  him  to  go  to 
Manila,  and  he  had  to ; because,  if  defeated,  he  had  no 
place  to  refit  on  that  side  of  the  globe,  and  if  the  Dons 
were  victorious  they  would  likely  cross  the  Pacific  and 
ravage  our  Oregon  and  California  coasts.  And  so  he 
had  to  destroy  the  Spanish  fleet,  and  did  it ! But  that 
was  as  far  as  I thought  then. 


144  The  Philippines  and  the  Fai<  East. 

“When  next  I realized  that  the  Philippines  had 
dropped  into  our  lap,  I confess  I did  not  know 
what  to  do  with  them.  I sought  counsel  from 

all  sides — Democrats  as  well  as  Republicans — but 
got  little  help.  I thought  first  we  would  take 
only  Manila ; then  Luzon ; then  other  islands,  per- 
haps, also.  I walked  the  floor  of  the  White 
House  night  after  night  until  midnight ; and  I am  not 
ashamed  to  tell  you,  gentlemen,  that  I went  down  on 
my  knees  and  prayed  Almighty  God  for  light  and  guid- 
ance more  than  one  night.  And  one  night  late  it  came 
to  me  this  way — I do  n’t  know  how  it  was,  but  it  came : 
( i ) That  we  could  not  give  them  back  to  Spain — that 
would  be  cowardly  and  dishonorable;  (2)  That  we  could 
not  turn  them  over  to  France  or  Germany — our  commer- 
cial rivals  in  the  Orient — that  would  be  bad  business 
and  discreditable;  (3)  That  we  could  not  leave  them  to 
themselves — they  were  unfit  for  self-government — and 
they  would  soon  have  anarchy  and  misrule  over  there 
worse  than  Spain’s  was;  and  (4)  That  there  was  nothing 
left  for  us  to  do  but  to  take  them  all,  and  to  educate  the 
Filipinos,  and  uplift  and  civilize  and  Christianize  them, 
and,  by  God’s  grace,  do  the  very  best  we  could  by  them, 
as  our  fellow-men  for  whom  Christ  also  died.  And  then  1 
went  to  bed,  and  went  to  sleep,  and  slept  soundly,  and 
the  next  morning  I sent  for  the  chief  engineer  of  the  War 
Department  (our  map-maker),  and  told  him  to  put  the 
Philippines  on  the  map  of  the  United  States  [pointing  to 
a large  map  on  the  wall  of  his  office]  ; and  there  they 
are,  and  there  they  will  stay  while  I am  President!’’ 

The  American  occupation  of  the  Philippines  was  un- 
dertaken with  motives  as  humane  and  disinterested  as 
those  which  drove  us  to  war  with  Spain  at  first.  The 
fact  is,  that  the  hour  of  destiny  had  struck.  The  for- 
bearance of  a just  God  was  exhausted.  Spain  must  be 
dispossessed  of  territories  which  she  had  ruled  with 
force  and  cruelty.  A new  order  must  begin. 

Meantime  troops  bad  been  rushed  forward  from  San 


Tin-:  American  Occupation. 


145 


Francisco.  Manila  was  taken  by  a combined  assault 
of  land  and  naval  forces  under  General  Merritt  and 
Admiral  Dewey  on  August  13,  1898.  A Spanish  force, 
twice  as  large  as  that  under  General  Merritt,  strongly 
intrenched  in  a walled  city  with  two  moats  and  with 
drawbridges  at  all  gates,  was  captured  with  the  follow- 
ing losses  to  our  army : Three  officers  wounded ; five 

enlisted  men  killed,  and  forty-three  wounded. 

Our  trophies  were  13,000  prisoners,  22,000  stands  of 
modern  arms,  10,000  rounds  of  ammunition,  and  $900,- 
000.  No  looting  was  allowed.  All  streets  were  pa- 
trolled by  troops  detailed  for  that  purpose.  Life  and 
property  were  more  safe  than  they  had  been  under  Span- 
ish rule.  The  conduct  of  our  troops  was  such  as  to 
make  every  American  rejoice.  Within  two  days  the 
post-office  opened  under  the  Stars  and  Stripes.  Within 
a week  the  custom-house  was  fully  organized  and  had 
taken  in  $100,000  in  duties,  and  the  city  had  resumed 
its  normal  activity.  Military  records  during  those  first 
weeks  do  not  disclose  a single  act  of  violence  or  usurpa- 
tion on  the  part  of  any  American  soldier.  Manila  was 
won. 

But  what  of  Aguinaldo  and  the  insurgent  forces? 
General  Merritt  had  sent  word  to  Aguinaldo  the  night 
of  the  1 2th  of  August  that  lie  and  his  forces  were  not 
to  take  part  in  the  assault  on  the  13th,  nor  to  enter  the 
city  after  it  had  been  captured.  That  was  because  it 
was  well  known  that  the  insurgent  leader  and  his  fol- 
lowers planned  a terrible  vengeance  and  a general  loot- 
ing of  the  city.  I quote  from  the  testimony  of  Senor 
Benito  Legarda,  given  in  the  report  above  referred  to 
(page  383) : 

“Q.  Did  Aguinaldo  expect  to  enter  Manila  with  his 
troops  with  the  Americans? 

10 


146  The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 


“A.  Yes,  sir. 

“Q.  Was  there  any  disappointment  among  the  troops 
of  Aguinaldo  that  they  were  not  permitted  to  plunder 
the  city?  Was  there  any  plan  to  plunder  the  city? 

“A.  Yes,  sir ; there  had  been  such  a plan. 

“0.  Tell  us  about  that  plan. 

“A.  They  wished,  of  course,  to  come  into  Manila 
after  having  robbed  it,  for  there  was  a plan  to  rob  the 
whole  city.  Aguinaldo  himself,  while  in  Bacoor,  pointed 
out  crowds  of  people  to  me,  passing,  carrying  sacks,  who, 
he  said,  were  on  their  way  to  Manila  to  sack  the  city 
when  they  were  able.  His  plan  was  to  come  in  with  the 
Americans  from  the  inside  after  the  city  had  been  occu- 
pied, if  the  Americans  did  not  give  the  independence  of 
the  Philippines.” 

During  the  assault  of  August  13th  it  became  neces- 
sary by  force  of  arms  to  stop  insurgents  from  entering 
the  city.  They  have  never  forgiven  the  American  troops 
for  thus  cheating  them  of  the  vengeance  they  meant  to 
wreak  on  Spanish  officials  and  friars  for  their  wrongs, 
and  preventing  that  wholesale  plundering  of  banks, 
stores,  churches,  and  private  houses  from  which  they 
expected  to  get  funds  for  personal  enrichment  and  for 
carrying  on  their  struggle. 

Friction  continued  between  our  forces  and  those  of 
the  insurgents.  The  months  from  September  to  Janu- 
ary dragged  heavily.  Aguinaldo  removed  his  capital  to 
Malolos,  about  thirty  miles  north  of  Manila.  Here  he 
set  up  the  revolutionary  government,  having  himself 
“elected”  President  by  “delegates”  whom  lie  had  named 
for  that  purpose.  He  was  inaugurated  with  due  form, 
and  issued  manifestoes,  proclamations,  and  laws  with 
a lavish  hand.  His  position  was  not  without  its  diffi- 
culties. He  pretended  to  be  at  the  head  of  a govern- 
ment. He  made  no  secret  of  his  hatred  of  the  Amer- 
icans, nor  of  his  purpose  to  resist  any  program  they 


m’KINLEY  MEMORIAL  PARADE,  LUNETA,  MANILA,  SEPTEMBER  1 9,  I90I. 


The  American  Occupation. 


149 


might  decide  upon,  unless  it  recognized  as  a real  gov- 
ernment for  the  entire  Archipelago  this  self-constituted 
bodv  of  officials  from  one  of  its  seven  great  tribes  or 
races.  His  army  was  eager  to  fight.  Because  of  their 
patient  endurance  of  scoffs  and  jibes,  our  troops  were 
believed  by  the  Filipino  soldiers  to  be  cowards.  They 
plundered  houses  along  the  edges  of  the  city.  They  cast 
up  trenches  facing  our  troops.  A cordon  of  their  troops, 
reaching  from  the  bay  south  of  the  city  of  Manila  to  the 
bay  again  at  the  north,  shut  our  forces  into  the  city. 
Twice  they  were  peremptorily  ordered  to  retire,  and  did 
so  sullenly.  There  was  trouble  in  the  air.  Unless  the 
Treaty  of  Peace  brought  relief,  war  with  the  people  in 
whose  interests  we  were  in  the  Archipelago  was  almost 
certain. 

Meantime  there  w’as  no  word  from  Paris.  The  Fili- 
pinos refused  to  believe  in  our  desire  to  carry  out  an 
unselfish  program.  Pending  the  signing  and  ratifying 
of  the  treaty,  no  word  of  authority  could  be  spoken.  At 
last  came  the  news  that  the  treaty  had  been  signed.  By 
article  three  sovereignty  over  the  Philippines  passed 
from  Spain  to  the  United  States  by  the  fortunes  of  war. 
and  by  purchase.  The  clause  reads  as  follows : 

“Article  3.  Spain  cedes  to  the  United  States  the  arch- 
ipelago known  as  the  Philippine  Islands,  which  com- 
prises all  those  islands  situated  between  the  lines  begin- 
ning and  ending  as  follows;  viz.  [then  follows  descrip- 
tion!. The  United  States  will  pay  to  Spain  the  sum  of 
$20,000,000  within  three  months  after  the  ratified  treaty 
is  exchanged.” 

It  became  the  duty,  therefore,  of  the  United  States 
to  enforce  sovereignty  to  which  it  had  succeeded,  and 
bring  about  a condition  of  public  order.  It  was  imme- 
diately the  duty  of  all  citizens  of  the  Philippine  Islands 


150  The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 

to  submit  to  the  new  rule.  Not  one  of  its  inhabitants 
had  any  just  ground  of  complaint  against  the  United 
States.  We  had  not  oppressed  them.  We  had  broken 
the  power  of  their  oppressors.  We  came  to  them  with 
many  guarantees  of  good  faith.  We  should  have  been 
given  an  opportunity  to  prove  the  justice  and  beneficence 
of  our  sway  over  the  people  before  hostilities  were  be- 
gun. Had  it  not  been  for  fierce  personal  ambitions  in 
a few  Filipino  leaders,  and  false  and  foolish  representa- 
tions made  to  them  by  American  politicians,  there  would 
have  been  no  bloodshed. 

News  of  the  treaty  was  not  followed  by  any  lessen- 
ing of  friction  between  the  troops.  Official  records 
prove  that,  late  in  January,  one  of  Aguinaldo’s  men  at- 
tempted to  assassinate  an  American  picket.  He  failed, 
and  lost  his  life.  One  of  General  Otis’s  pickets  was  fired 
on  later,  but  the  Filipino  missed  fire.  The  first  of  Feb- 
ruary a surveying  party,  well  within  our  own  lines,  was 
seized  by  insurgent  troops,  and  hurried  away  to  Ma- 
lolos. 

“On  the  night  of  February  2d  a strong  detail  of  Fil- 
ipino soldiers  defiantly  confronted  one  of  our  remote 
pickets,  well  within  the  limits  of  our  acknowledged  juris- 
diction, and  there  remained  during  the  entire  night,  openly 
taunting  our  imperturbable  men  in  an  attempt  to  draw 
their  fire.  And,  finally,  on  the  night  of  February  4th, 
growing  bolder  and  more  persistent  in  their  efforts  to 
bring  on  a conflict,  a strong  detail  of  Filipino  soldiers 
again  appeared  at  one  of  our  outposts  on  the  east  of 
the  city,  and  at  the  west  end  of  the  Santa  Mesa  bridge. 
The  detachment  was  led  by  one  of  Aguinaldo’s  officers, 
who  attempted  to  pass  and  push  back  our  picket,  then 
a hundred  yards  or  more  within  our  lines.  Private  Gray- 
son, Company  D,  First  Nebraska  Volunteers,  challenged 
the  Filipino  and  his  detachment,  and,  after  giving  his 
third  warning,  fired,  killing  the  lieutenant  while  he  Still 


Tm-:  American  Occupation. 


151 

persisted  in  his  attempt  to  force  our  picket-line.  Imme- 
diately the  insurgents  opened  fire  upon  our  troops  from 
their  entire  line  of  works  surrounding  the  city,  and  many 
miles  in  length.”* 

From  the  testimony  taken  by  the  Schurman  Com- 
mission in  1900,  I quote  again  (pages  385  ct  scq.)  : 

“Q.  We  understand  that,  with  the  close  proximity  of 
the  two  lines  there  was  a great  deal  of  trouble  between 
the  soldiers  of  the  opposing  forces,  and  we  would  like 
to  know  the  facts. 

“A.  Hostile  acts  and  demonstrations  were  the  regular 
order  of  the  day  between  the  two  lines,  and  there  were 
disputes  and  other  troubles  continually,  which  did  not 
come  to  blows  by  sheer  good  fortune. 

“Q.  What  did  the  Filipino  soldiers  do  here  and  on 
the  lines? 

“A.  The  Filipino  soldiers  were  always  committing 
robberies  here  [in  Manila].  One  of  the  reasons  for  the 
outbreak  of  hostilities  was  the  conviction  of  the  Filipino 
soldiers  that  the  American  soldier  was  a coward ; . . . 

and  what  gave  them  reason  to  think  this  was  that  the 
Americans  avoided  trouble,  and  endeavored  to  prevent 
the  outbreak  here. 

“O  Do  you  know  anything  as  to  whether  any  day 
had  been  fixed  for  the  commencement  of  hostilities  by 
Aguinaldo? 

“A.  I think  not. 

“Q.  Was  it  not  understood  that  in  a few  days  they 
would  make  an  attack  ? 

“A.  It  was  understood — yes,  sir — that  [they  would 
do  so]  in  the  near  future. 

“Q.  Aguinaldo  had  been  preparing  for  it,  had  He 
not  ? 

“A.  He  was  preparing  for  it. 

“Q.  Then  it  was  understood  long  before  February  4th 
that  there  would  be  war  ? 


“Alger:  The  Spanish- American  War,  356,  357. 


152  The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 

“Yes,  sir,  that  hostilities  would  be  opened  in  the  near 
future. 

“Q.  Everybody  expected  that  the  Filipinos  would  at- 
tack the  Americans  ? 

“A.  Yes,  sir,  both  within  the  city  and  without.  . . . 

“Q.  When  this  shot  was  fired,  firing  commenced  along 
the  entire  line  ? 

“A.  Yes,  sir. 

“Q.  What  was  the  length  of  that  line? 

“A.  It  was  very  long — fifteen  or  twenty  miles. 

“Q.  Just  as  soon  as  that  gun  was  fired  the  fighting 
commenced  along  the  whole  line  ? 

“A.  I saw  near  La  Loma  the  Filipinos  were  sending 
up  red  rockets,  which  was  the  signal  agreed  upon  for  the 
outbreak  of  hostilities. 

“Q.  Do  you  know  that  this  signal  was  agreed  upon  ? 

“A.  Yes,  sir. 

“Q.  Then,  there  could  not  be  any  question  but  what 
this  attack  was  preconcerted  ? 

“A.  Certainly ; but  I can  not  say  that  it  was  abso- 
lutely agreed  upon  for  the  4th  of  February.  But  it  was 
[to  be]  in  the  near  future. 

“Q.  What  effect  did  the  fighting  of  the  first  few  days 
have  on  the  insurgent  leaders? 

“A.  It  caused  complete  demoralization.  Soldiers  went 
to  the  woods,  threw  away  their  ammunition,  and  did 
not  want  to  fight  any  more  on  any  condition.” 

The  character  of  the  alleged  government  under 
which  all  this  trouble  was  concocted  may  fairly  well  be 
understood  from  the  following  testimony  from  the  same 
official  source.  To  understand  it  fully  would  demand 
thorough  familiarity  with  Filipino  character,  and  the  re- 
lation the  Tagalog  people  bear  to  the  other  six-sevenths 
of  the  Christianized  inhabitants  of  the  Archipelago 
(pages  386,  387)  : 

“Q.  How  was  his  [ Aguinaldo’s]  Congress  got  to- 
gether ; was  it  elected  or  appointed  ? and  if  appointed,  by 
whom  was  it  appointed  ? 


Tiie  American  Occupation. 


153 


“A.  This  Congress  was  made  up  by  Aguinaldo.  All 
the  members  may  be  said  to  have  been  appointed.  There 
were  a very  few  members  who  were  elected  by  the  peo- 
ple, but  the  great  majority  were  appointed  by  Aguinaldo, 
and  naturally  the  decisions  of  the  Congress  had  to  be 
as  Aguinaldo  desired. 

“Q.  Did  Aguinaldo  have  the  power  to  remove  mem- 
bers who  did  not  vote  to  suit  his  wishes? 

“A.  Yes,  sir. 

“Q.  Was  the  Congress  fairly  representative  of  the 
various  provinces  in  the  Philippine  Archipelago,  or  chiefly 
made  up  of  [the  island  of]  Luzon? 

“A.  Luzon  exclusively. 

“Q.  In  the  island  of  Luzon,  were  the  various  prov- 
inces represented,  or  mostly  Tagalogs? 

“A.  All  Tagalogs. 

“Q.  You  say  you  were  Vice-President  of  the  Con- 
gress: did  you  ever  preside? 

“A.  I only  attended  Congress  twice,  for  the  position 
did  not  suit  me.  I hardly  stopped  there.  I did  not  like 
it,  and  I did  not  swear  to  support  the  Constitution. 

“O.  What  importance  did  the  Congress  actually  have? 
Were  its  decrees  put  into  effect,  or  were  they  overruled 
by  Aguinaldo  and  his  cabinet  when  they  were  not  pleas- 
ing to  them? 

“A.  Whatever  Aguinaldo  wished. 

“O.  I wish  to  know  whether  the  Congress  was  dom- 
inated by  Aguinaldo  and  his  cabinet  or  not. 

“A.  Completely. 

“O.  Was  it  not  true  that  the  Congress  passed  a meas- 
ure to  the  effect  that  the  protection  of  the  United  States 
should  be  requested  for  the  Philippines  ? 

“A.  Yes,  sir. 

“0.  And  what  was  the  reason  that  that  resolution 
was  not  carried  out? 

“A.  Because  Aguinaldo  disapproved  of  it.” 

From  February  4,  1899,  to  July  4,  1901,  war  con- 
tinued. At  the  latter  date  it  was  “officially”  declared 
at  an  end,  and  civil  rule  began ; though  there  was  desul- 


154  The  Philippines  and  the  Par  Past. 


tory  fighting  here  and  there  for  months  afterward,  and 
war  with  the  belligerent  Moros  at  the  south  will  occur 
from  time  to  time  as  it  has  done  with  tribes  of  Indians  on 
our  Western  frontier.  But  American  occupation  of  the 
Philippines  has  been  accomplished,  and  our  beneficent 
program  is  being  worked  out  with  a directness  and 
rapidity  most  gratifying  to  all  who  love  the  flag. 


provincial  government  building,  tarlac. 


CHAPTER  X. 


Framing  a Policy. 

It  should  provoke  no  surprise  that  the  effort  to  frame 
a wise,  just,  and  beneficent  policy  for  our  government 
of  the  Filipino  people  called  out  such  differences  of 
opinion  and  so  much  bitterness.  To  frame  a policy 
under  which  a Republic  could  govern  seven  million 
brown  men  in  the  Far  East  was  a most  difficult  task. 
It  was  the  most  momentous  question  which  our  nation 
had  faced  since  the  Civil  War  had  settled  the  relation 
which  individual  States  hold  to  the  Union.  History 
bears  swift  witness  to  the  perils  encountered  when  a free 
people  begin  to  rule  over  subject  populations.  Should 
the  Filipinos  be  held  to  be  a “subject  population?” 
Should  our  nation  treat  them  as  the  Dutch  treat  the  in- 
habitants of  Java,  and  as  the  English  treat  the  natives 
of  India  or  the  Federated  Malay  States?  The  experi- 
ence of  European  colonization — Spanish,  English,  Dutch 
and  French — was  before  us.  The  larger  questions  grow- 
ing out  of  the  influence  of  white  races  in  the  tropics 
were  all  brought  up  by  this  demand  for  a consistent  and 
successful  policy  for  our  newly-acquired  island  posses- 
sions in  Asia.  Our  statesmen  could  not  be  blind  to  the 
steady  invasion  of  the  tropics  bv  the  rule  of  Northern 
and  Western  nations.  They  could  not  but  see  that, 
within  a little  more  than  a century,  one-half  of  all  trop- 
ical countries  had  come  under  the  control  of  European 
powers.  In  this  vast,  silent,  irrepressible  movement 

155 


156  The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 

toward  tropical  control,  what  part  should  the  United 
States  play  ? The  Philippines  were  ours  by  the  fortunes 
of  war.  They  were  ours  by  payment  of  a fair  purchase 
price  to  their  former  owner,  after  the  arbitrament  of  a 
war  for  humanity  had  left  them  in  our  keeping.  Naked 
imperialism  or  the  cool  calculations  of  commerce  had  fur- 
nished motive  for  nearly  all  previous  European  occu- 
pation of  the  tropics.  No  serious  attempt  had  ever  been 
made,  at  least  none  at  all  commensurate  with  the  vast- 
ness of  the  interests  at  stake,  to  lay  down  those  principles 
which  should  control  in  future  relations  between  power- 
ful Western  nations  and  the  primitive  savagery  or  par- 
tially-civilized inhabitants  of  the  tropical  regions.  Con- 
structive statesmanship  was  needed.  Never  had  it 
been  more  urgently  needed  since  the  birth-hour  of  the 
Republic.  If  our  nation  committed  itself  to  a selfish 
policy,  we  would  sin  against  the  spirit  of  our  own  free 
institutions,  and  the  sin  would  come  home  to  curse  11s. 
We  had  done  but  our  duty  in  enforcing  our  sovereignty. 
Now  we  must  show  to  the  Filipinos,  and  to  the  nations 
of  the  earth,  that  our  humanitarian  claims  were  some- 
thing more  than  empty  words ; for  we  had  entered  the 
Philippines  with  large  claims  of  disinterested  humani- 
tarianism.  One  of  the  members  of  the  first  Philippine 
Commission  says : 

“I  take  as  my  starting-point  the  motives  and  objects 
with  which  we  went  into  the  Philippines.  They  were 
impressively  voiced  by  President  McKinley,  and  I have 
already  told  you  how  he  set  them  forth  to  me  three  years 
ago.  Our  purpose  was  not  selfish ; it  was  humanitarian ; 
it  was  not  the  vanity  of  self-aggrandizement ; it  was  not 
the  greed  of  power  and  dominion.  No,  no,  not  these,  but 
altruism,  caring  for  the  happiness  of  others ; philanthropy 
relieving  the  Filipinos  of  oppression  and  conferring  on 
them  the  blessings  of  liberty.  This  was  the  supreme  con- 


Framing  a Policy. 


i57 


sideration  of  President  McKinley.  It  was  this  that 
touched  the  vein  of  sentiment  in  the  American  hearts 
that  so  overwhelmingly  supported  him.  It  does  not  mat- 
ter what  judgment  you  may,  in  the  cooler  atmosphere  ol 
1902  pass  upon  that  popular  sentiment  of  the  summer  of 
1898.  You  may  consider  it  extravagant,  irrational,  im- 
practical. I thought  at  the  time  that  it  went  too  far ; 
and  I publicly  pointed  out  that  while,  under  the  Monroe 
Doctrine,  it  might  become  our  duty  to  relieve  American 
peoples  from  European  oppression,  we  had  no  call  to 
go  into  the  business  of  rectifying  the  tyrannies  of  Asia. 
But  the  popular  heart  was  stirred  too  deeply  to  be  stilled, 
and  Admiral  Dewey’s  great  victory  in  Manila  Bay  had 
brought  the  Filipinos  within  the  range  of  American 
solicitude  and  sympathy. 

“This  is  the  first  fact  in  the  history  of  our  relations 
with  the  Philippines.  The  political  emancipation  of  the 
Filipinos  was  the  controlling  object  with  the  President 
and  people  of  the  United  States.  I am,  of  course,  aware 
that  other  and  less  worthy  aims  appealed  to  individual 
Americans  and  to  groups  of  Americans.  It  would  be 
strange  if  it  were  otherwise,  considering  how  diversified 
human  motives  are  apt  to  be.  The  jingo  saw  in  the  annex- 
ation of  the  Philippines  another  avenue  for  spread-eagle- 
ism ; to  Americans  in  the  Orient  it  meant  an  accession  of 
American  influence  in  Asia;  to  the  Protestant  Churchman 
it  offered  a new  field  for  missionary  enterprise ; the  exploit- 
ing capitalist  was  fascinated  by  the  riches  of  Philippine 
forests,  lands,  and  mines,  which  showed  like  ‘the  wealth 
of  Ormus  or  of  Ind and  the  sensational  press,  slid 
delirious  from  the  fever  of  war  and  surfeited  with  the 
staleness  of  piping  peace,  discerned  in  the  Philippines 
material  for  new  sensations,  which  promised  to  be  as  stir- 
ring as  the  excitant  was  remote,  unknown,  and  danger- 
ously explosive.  All  these  influences,  and  others,  were  un- 
doubtedly at  work.  Yet  it  was  not  these  forces  singly  or 
in  combination  that  carried  the  day ; it  was  the  humani- 
tarian object  of  liberating  the  Filipinos  from  Spanish 
tyranny,  and  bestowing  upon  them  the  boon  of  freedom, 
that  decided  the  President  and  the  people  of  the  United 


158  The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 

States  to  compel  Spain  to  cede  to  us  here  sovereignty 
over  the  Philippine  Islands  !”* 

Should  those  Islands  be  made  an  integral  part  of 
the  United  States?  Should  we  bring  in  the  waif  thrown 
thus  on  our  hands,  and  declare  him  one  of  the  family? 
This  was  seriously  urged  by  men  who  should  have  seen 
its  utter  impossibility.  Distance  forbade  it.  Racial 
lines  forbade  it.  The  puzzling  psychology  of  the  Orien- 
tal makes  such  a political  “merger”  unthinkable.  Kip- 
ling, who,  whatever  be  his  faults,  understands  the  East, 
makes  Lord  Dufferin  say  to  Lord  Lansdowne  in  his 
“One  Viceroy  Resigns 

“ You  ’ll  never  plumb  the  Oriental  mind, 

And  if  you  did,  it  is  n’t  worth  the  toil. 

Think  of  a sleek  French  priest  in  Canada  ; 

Divide  by  twenty  half-breeds.  Multiply 

By  twice  the  Sphinx’s  silence.  There ’s  your  East. 

And  you  ’re  as  wise  as  ever.  So  am  I.” 

Plainly,  we  could  not  admit  such  incongruous  ele- 
ments to  organic  union  with  the  nation.  Nor  could  \ve 
govern  despotically.  Despotic  rule  for  India  began  be- 
fore her  monarchical  government  had  been  so  profoundly 
affected  by  the  democratic  spirit  and  method  of  later 
years.  If  it  were  to  be  done  now,  England  could  not 
carry  her  people  with  her  in  providing  for  India  such  a 
government  as  India  now  has.  Queen  Wilhelmina,  from 
her  throne  in  Amsterdam,  can  enforce  despotic  rule  in 
Java,  and  by  compulsory  labor  make  that  island  a gar- 
den ; but  she  is  a queen,  and  our  nation  can  not  hope  to 
follow  her  example  should  we  desire  to  do  so. 

Should  we  declare  that  the  Philippines  are  to  be  a 
colony?  Colonial  administration  is  difficult  and  dan- 

*Schurman.  “ Philippine  Affairs,  a Retrospect  and  Outlook.” 


Framing  a Policy. 


i59 


gerous,  even  in  governments  much  more  highly  cen- 
tralized than  our  own.  How  would  a colonial  govern- 
ment meet  our  promises  and  the  legitimate  hopes  of  the 
Filipinos  ? What  our  promises  were  in  a general  way 
may  be  seen  in  the  closing  paragraph  of  President  Mc- 
Kinley’s Proclamation  of  December  21,  1898,  imme- 

diately following  the  signing  of  the  Treaty  of  Peace  at 
Paris : 

“Finally,  it  should  be  the  earnest  and  paramount  aim 
of  the  military  administration  to  win  the  confidence, 
respect,  and  affection  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  Philip- 
pines by  assuring  them  in  every  possible  way  that  full 
measure  of  individual  rights  and  liberty  which  is  the 
heritage  of  free  people,  and  by  proving  to  them  that 
the  mission  of  the  United  States  is  of  benevolent  assim- 
ilation, substituting  the  mild  sway  of  justice  and  right 
for  arbitrary  rule.  In  the  fulfillment  of  this  high  mis- 
sion, supporting  the  temperate  administration  of  affairs 
for  the  greatest  good  of  the  governed,  there  must  be  sedu- 
lously maintained  the  strong  arm  of  authority  to  repress 
disturbance  and  to  overcome  all  obstacles  to  the  bestowal 
of  the  blessings  of  good  and  stable  government  upon  the 
people  of  the  Philippine  Islands  under  the  free  flag  of 
the  United  States.  William  McKinley/’ 

In  attempting  to  frame  an  enlightened  policy,  Presi- 
dent McKinley  appointed  a Commission,  with  Dr.  J.  G. 
Schurman,  President  of  Cornell  University,  as  chair- 
man, to  visit  the  Islands,  acquaint  themselves  with  all 
the  facts  of  the  situation,  and  submit  recommendations. 
Before  this  Commission  reached  Manila,  hostilities  had 
broken  out,  and,  instead  of  finding  a gradual  extension 
of  United  States  sovereignty  over  a people  eager  to  wel- 
come us  with  our  policy  of  “benevolent  assimilation,” 
the  Commission  found  “red  ruin,  and  the  breaking  out 
of  war”  on  all  sides.  With  tireless  energy  they  sum- 


160  The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 

moned  witnesses,  pored  over  old  documents,  and  inves- 
tigated conditions.  What  our  government  owes  to  this 
Commission  will  never  be  known.  Their  report  is  a 
convincing  proof  of  intelligent  toil  to  ascertain  the  facts 
and  know  the  very  inner  spirit  of  Filipino  life. 

One  of  the  wisest  things  they  did  was  to  draw  up  a 
proclamation  to  the  Filipino  people,  setting  forth  the 
benevolent  intentions  of  the  American  Government,  and 
calling  upon  those  who  were  in  arms  to  return  to  the 
vocations  of  peace.  From  that  proclamation  I take  some 
of  the  “regulative  principles”  which  the  Commission 
assured  the  Filipino  people  would  be  “of  cardinal  im- 
portance” in  the  relation  of  the  United  States  to  the 
Philippines  and  their  inhabitants : 

“i.  The  supremacy  of  the  United  States  must  and 
will  be  enforced  throughout  every  part  of  the  Archipel- 
ago, and  those  who  resist  it  can  accomplish  no  end  other 
than  their  own  ruin. 

“2.  The  most  ample  liberty  of  self-government  will  be 
granted  to  the  Philippine  people  which  is  reconcilable 
with  the  maintenance  of  a wise,  just,  stable,  effective,  and 
economical  administration  of  public  affairs,  and  compat- 
ible with  the  sovereign  and  international  rights  and  obliga- 
tion of  the  United  States. 

“3.  The  civil  rights  of  the  Philippine  people  will  be 
guaranteed  and  protected  to  the  fullest  extent,  religious 
freedom  assured,  and  all  persons  shall  have  an  equal 
standing  before  the  law. 

“4.  Honor,  justice,  and  friendship  forbid  the  use  of 
the  Philippine  people  or  Islands  as  an  object  or  means 
of  exploitation.  The  purpose  of  the  American  Govern- 
ment is  the  welfare  and  advancement  of  the  Philippine 
people.  . . . 

“il.  Reforms  in  all  departments  of  the  government, 
in  all  branches  of  the  public  service,  and  in  all  corpora- 
tions closely  touching  the  common  life  of  the  people,  must 
be  undertaken  without  delay,  and  effected  conformably 


Framing  a Policy. 


i 6 i 


to  right  and  justice  in  a way  that  will  satisfy  the  well- 
founded  demands  and  the  highest  sentiments  and  aspira- 
tions of  the  Philippine  people.”* 

Here  were  the  germs  of  the  policy  for  which  Presi- 
dent McKinley  and  our  best  political  leaders  were  seek- 
ing. American  sovereignty,  such  participation  in  the 
government  of  their  own  Islands  as  the  Filipino  people 
proved  able  to  bear,  prompt  reform  in  all  branches  of 
the  government,  religious  liberty,  an  honorable  and  just 
settlement  of  the  vexed  friar  question,  schools  for  the 
common  people,  etc.  The  effect  of  the  proclamation 
was  immediate  and  dramatic.  It  split  the  insurgent  gov- 
ernment in  twain.  On  May  1st  their  Congress  voted  for 
the  cessation  of  war,  and  the  adoption  of  measures  look- 
ing to  peace  on  the  basis  of  the  proclamation.  A new 
Cabinet  was  formed  and  a committee  instructed  “to  con- 
fer with  the  American  authorities  to  agree  upon  terms 
of  honorable  surrender.”f  Luna,  the  commanding  gen- 
eral of  insurgent  forces,  was  furious.  He  arrested  the 
delegates  so  appointed,  and  sentenced  some  to  imprison- 
ment and  some  to  death  on  the  charge  of  treason ! 

But  the  Philippine  Republic  died  in  giving  birth  to 
this  peace  measure.  It  never  pretended  to  live  after 
that  ist  of  May,  1899.  But  the  Peace  Party,  or  Federal 
Party,  grew  apace.  The  wisest  men  in  Aguinaldo’s 
lines  saw  that,  under  such  a policy  as  the  proclamation 
outlined,  they  would  enjoy  a larger  measure  of  liberty 
than  they  had  ever  dreamed  of  gaining  under  the  plan 
for  independence. 

All  this  is  recited  to  show  that  sober-minded  Fili- 
pinos were  satisfied  with  even  the  general  outlines  of  a 

s Report  of  the  Philippine  Commission,  1900,  Vol.  I,  pp.  3-5. 

t Report  of  War  Department,  1901,  Part  II,  p.  118. 


11 


162  Tim  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 

national  policy  set  forth  in  the  proclamation  of  April  4, 
1899.  They  saw  that  the  evils  from  which  they  sought 
relief  were  impossible  under  such  a government  as  our 
nation  proposed  to  set  up. 

All  later  discussion  served  only  to  make  increasingly 
clear  that  a strong  government  under  American  officials, 
aided  by  Filipinos  as  their  character  and  capacity  was 
proved,  and  all  so  framed  as  to  lead  the  way  to  a gov- 
ernment of  the  Islands  by  the  Filipinos  themselves  after 
an  indefinite  period  of  tutelage,  was  the  policy  best  cal- 
culated to  meet  all  the  demands  of  the  situation.  Such 
a policy  would  satisfy  the  American  conscience.  It 
would  redeem  all  our  national  pledges  of  disinterested 
helpfulness.  It  would  disarm  critics  of  other  nations. 

In  the  Philippines  it  would  recognize  and  encourage 
the  faint  beginnings  of  a national  spirit.  In  1899  Presi- 
dent Schurman  wrote : 

“The  Philippine  Islands,  even  the  most  patriotic  de- 
clare, can  not,  at  the  present  time,  stand  alone.  They  need 
the  tutelage  and  protection  of  the  United  States.  But 
they  need  it  in  order  that,  in  due  time,  they  may,  in  their 
opinion,  become  self-governing  and  independent.  For 
it  would  be  a misrepresentation  of  facts  not  to  report  that 
ultimate  independence — independence  after  an  undefined 
period  of  American  training — is  the  aspiration  and  goal 
of  the  intelligent  Filipinos  who  to-day  so  streuously  op- 
pose the  suggestion  of  independence  at  the  present  time.”* 

Nothing  is  more  irrepressible  than  this  spirit  of  na- 
tionality. It  will  not  down.  It  breaks  bounds.  It 
shakes  off  all  the  twisted  withes  of  oppressive  legisla- 
tion with  which  a superior  power  may  try  to  hold  it  cap- 
tive. This  national  spirit  in  the  Philippines  is  feeble 
now.  But  it  is  there,  and  a policy  which  ignored  its 


* Report,  1900,  Vol.  I,  pp.  82,  83. 


OLD  WALL  AND  MOAT,  MANILA. 
(Moat  breeds  disease.  Must  be  filled  up.) 


Framing  a Policy.  165 

existence  would  be  both  foolish  and  wicked  as  well  as 
out  of  alignment  with  our  own  past. 

This  policy,  then,  is  neither  despotism,  federalism, 
nor  pure  colonialism.  It  is  colonialism  of  a new  brand. 
It  is  colonialism  avowedly  on  the  way  to  nationalism. 
And  the  avowal  is  made,  not  as  is  customary  in  history, 
by  the  colonists.  The  frank  avowal  of  a purpose  to  see 
nationalism  triumphant  is  made  by  the  colonizing  power, 
and  that  in  the  hour  when  her  arms  have  beaten  down  all 
who  disputed  her  sovereignty. 

It  is  a cautious  policy,  though  its  critics  declare  it 
rash  and  reckless.  It  refuses  to  fix  any  time  when  na- 
tionalism shall  be  recognized  as  sufficiently  developed 
and  chastened  to  discharge  its  obligations  to  the  natives 
of  these  Islands,  and  meet  its  sovereign  responsibilities 
as  an  independent  State  in  the  concert  of  nations.  And 
in  the  intervening  period  the  colonizing  power  proposes 
to  prepare  its  new  subjects  for  this  exalted  destiny  by  a 
system  of  free  popular  education,  by  admitting  natives 
to  as  large  a share  in  the  government  of  the  country 
as  is  shown  to  be  compatible  with  the  welfare  of  the 
people,  and  by  carrying  on  before  their  eyes  an  adminis- 
tration which  will  furnish  them  a pattern  from  which 
to  work  out  their  own  national  salvation. 

“The  destiny  of  the  Philippine  Islands  is  not  to  be  a 
State  or  Territory  in  the  United  States  of  America,  but 
a daughter  republic  of  ours — a new  birth  of  liberty  on 
the  other  side  of  the  Pacific,  which  shall  animate  and 
energize  those  lovely  islands  of  the  tropical  seas,  and, 
rearing  its  head  aloft,  stand  as  a monument  of  progress 
and  a beacon  of  hope  to  all  the  oppressed  and  benighted 
millions  of  the  Asiatic  continent.” 

The  only  criticism  which  can  be  passed  upon  this 
policy  is,  that  it  is  impracticable;  that  it  assumes  an 


The  Philippines  and  the  Par  East. 


166 

ability  in  the  Filipino  which  he  does  not  possess — -the 
moral  stability,  the  sober  judgment  which  are  indispen- 
sable in  a republican  form  of  government.  Our  British 
cousins  in  Malaysia  and  Borneo  scoff  at  the  idea  that 
any  Malay  people  can  ever  become  self-governing.  They 
point  to  the  bombast,  the  vanity,  the  cruelty,  the  de- 
ceitfulness, and  chronic  laziness  of  the  typical  Malay  in 
proof  of  their  contention.  Our  Dutch  friends  in  Java 
declare  that  all  their  experience  proves  our  program  a 
hopeless  one.  Many  Americans,  chiefly  of  the  military 
forces,  treat  the  entire  policy  with  open  scorn. 

What  of  these  objections?  Is  the  Filipino  fitted  for 
self-government?  No;  not  at  present.  Has  he  racial 
deficiencies  which  leave  him  permanently  disqualified 
for  this  role?  It  is  not  easy  to  answer.  It  is  always 
hard  to  prove  a negative.  General  statements  are  al- 
ways dangerous.  Certainly  the  outlook  is  not  as  hope- 
ful as  we  could  wish.  The  Malay  race  has  produced 
less  political  results  than  the  North  American  Indian. 
The  latter  did  organize  and  maintain  intertribal  com- 
binations, and  that  between  alien  races,  fenced  off  from 
one  another  by  distance  and  by  language  barriers.  This 
the  Malay  races  have  never  yet  accomplished.  They 
are  an  imitative  race,  rather  than  a people  with  vigorous 
initiative.  Catholic  teachers  speak  discouragingly  of 
their  capacity  for  oiginal  thought  and  independent  ac- 
tion. It  appears  incontrovertible  that  public  office  is 
regarded  by  the  many  Filipinos  in  common  with  Asiatics 
generally  as  a means  of  private  enrichment  or  the  set- 
tlement of  personal  grudges.  The  executive  secretary 
of  the  Civil  Commission  is  overwhelmed  with  complaints 
as  to  the  extortion,  tyranny,  and  intrigue  of  Filipino 
provincial  and  municipal  officials.  In  my  own  travels  in 
the  provinces  I see  painful  evidences  of  the  utter  mis- 


Framing  a Policy. 


167 


apprehension  of  the  real  nature  of  official  power.  To 
eradicate  these  ideas,  and  put  correct  notions  in  their 
place,  will  require  much  patience  and  years  of  teaching 
by  precept  and  example.  It  is  fortunate  for  11s  that 
there  are  Filipino  officials  and  leaders  of  public  opinion 
who  are  above  reproach  in  these  matters,  and  whose 


EAMBOO  RAFT  ON  WHICH  THE  COMMISSION  ASCENDED 
THE  ABEA  RIVER. 

(Ralts  of  this  sort  carry  one  thousand  pounds,  and  draw  but 
three  or  four  inches  of  water. 

example  and  teaching  will  powerfully  affect  the  mass 
of  their  own  countrymen. 

It  must  be  remembered  that  the  Filipino  has  never 
had  a chance  to  show  what  he  could  do.  He  has  been 
under  the  harrow  of  an  unpitying,  unseeing  despotism, 
both  political  and  ecclesiastical.  It  is  a marvel  that  he 
has  come  so  far  on  the  way  toward  political  manhood. 
The  Church  has  steadily  forbidden  him  to  think.  If 
he  persisted,  she  has  made  his  life  a burden.  When 


1 68  The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 


schools  have  done  their  work  for  a generation ; when 
the  tug  and  sweat  of  actual  participation  in  the  work 
of  governing  their  own  people  has  been  endured  for  a 
term  of  years ; and,  above  all,  when  the  new  religious 
forces  already  astir  among  the  masses  have  lifted  up 
new  moral  and  ethical  standards  before  them, — then  it 
will  be  time  to  ask  whether  the  Filipino  people  are  ca- 
pable of  self-government.* 

*The  United  States  is  the  last  people  in  the  world  to  argue 
any  other  people  into  political  subjection.  And  against  a whole 
nation  aspiring  and  struggling  to  be  independent,  it  is  as  impos- 
sible to-day  to  draw  up  an  indictment  as  it  was  when  Burke  re- 
pudiated the  task  in  connection  with  the  people  of  the  thirteen 
American  Colonies. 

If  the  Filipinos  desire  independence,  they  should  have  it,  when 
they  are  qualified  to  exercise  it.  The  reports  of  General  Chaffee 
and  Governor  Taft  demonstrate  (whatever  their  own  personal 
views)  that  the  difficulties  in  the  way  of  independence  are  grad- 
ually disappearing.  Let  a Philippine  popular  assembly  or  house 
of  representatives  say  whether  the  Filipinos  want  independence 
or  not,  and  if  so,  at  what  date  they  think  the  grant  should  be  con- 
ferred, and  we  shall  then  have  before  us  all  the  conditions  neces- 
sary for  the  final  solution  of  the  Philippine  problem.  If  it  appears 
probable,  as  recent  experience  seems  to  indicate,  that  the  Christian 
Filipinos  of  Luzon  and  the  Visayas  might,  at  no  distant  day,  govern 
themselves  as  well  as  the  average  Central  or  South  American  Re- 
public, then,  in  the  name  of  American  liberty  and  democracy,  in 
the  name  of  the  political  aspirations  and  ideals  of  the  Filipinos, 
and  in  the  name  of  justice  and  humanity,  let  the  Philippine  Re- 
public be  established.  As  President  McKinley  said  to  me  three 
years  ago,  we  went  into  the  Philippines  solely  with  the  humanita- 
rian object  of  conferring  the  blessings  of  liberty  on  the  Filipinos. 
In  its  highest  potency,  liberty  and  independence  are  one  and  insep- 
arable. 

And  to  repeat,  what  ought  not  need  repetition  anywhere  within 
the  limits  of  our  free  Republic,  any  decent  kind  of  government  of 
Filipinos  by  Filipinos  is  better  than  the  best  possible  government 
of  F'ilipinos  by  Americans. — (Schurmau.) 


CHAPTER  XI. 


Some  Constructive  Legislation. 

Starting  with  the  surprisingly  varied  and  uniformly 
excellent  provisions  made  by  the  army  for  new  courts, 
the  collecting  and  disbursement  of  public  funds,  the  es- 
tablishment of  sanitary  conditions,  the  opening  of  a 
system  of  free  schools,  and  a list  of  other  needed  pro- 
visions too  long  to  be  enumerated  here,  the  Civil  Com- 
mission has  drafted  and  put  into  force  over  one  thou- 
sand laws.  They  have  followed  the  Anglo-Saxon  rather 
than  the  French  method  of  providing  government  and 
legislative  machinery  for  new  conditions,  conserving 
and  using  existing  legislative  and  governmental  provi- 
sions which  were  worthy,  and  creating  new  laws  and 
new  provisions  only  when  such  were  demanded  by  new 
conditions.  And  while  some  of  this  legislation  has 
proved  a misfit,  because  too  theoretical,  and  perhaps 
utopian,  it  has  all  been  of  a more  practical  character  be- 
cause it  was  framed  in  view  of  what  seemed  pressing 
necessities.  So  urgent  has  been  the  demand  for  new 
laws,  and  the  drastic  amendment  of  those  in  force  for 
generations,  that  the  Commission  has  been  forced  to  adopt 
the  maxim  of  that  son  of  Erin  who  declared  that  he 
“never  did  to-day  what  could  be  put  off  until  to-morrow.” 
They  have  been  literally  forced  to  hold  over  everything 
that  could  wait,  while  all  their  thought  and  time  which 
could  be  spared  from  executive  duties  were  given  to 


169 


170  The  Philippines  and  the  Par  East. 

drafting  and  passing  laws  touching  phases  of  Philippine 
life  which  demanded  instant  amelioration. 

Out  of  this  bewildering  mass  of  legislation  I can 
name  and  outline  but  a few  Acts  of  many  which  are 
worthy  of  designation  as  “constructive  legislation.”  I 
shall  reserve  the  School  Act  for  a special  chapter. 

■ Governor  Taft  jotted  down  for  me  the  following 
partial  list  of  Acts  of  the  Civil  Commission  which  he 
regarded  fundamental  to  the  creation  of  right  conditions 
of  government  and  society  in  the  Philippines : 

The  Municipal  Code,  the  Provincial  Act,  the  School 
Act,  the  Organization  of  Courts,  the  Act  Creating  the 
Civil  Service  Board,  the  Civil  Procedure  Act,  the  Phil- 
ippine Constabulary  Act,  the  Land  Act,  the  Land  Regis- 
tration Act,  the  Penal  Code,  and  various  Acts  as  to 
Public  Health. 

Some  of  these  are  very  intricate  acts.  All  have  called 
for  legislative  ability  of  a high  order.  In  a sense  the 
Commission  had  an  open  field.  The  slate  was  clean. 
They  were  to  judge  what  to  conserve,  and  how  and  what 
to  build  anew.  It  was  a great  opportunity,  and,  on  the 
whole,  has  been  worthily  met.  Certain  it  is  that  no  body 
of  men  laboring  for  the  welfare  of  those  over  whom 
the  flag  of  our  Republic  waves  have  put  in  longer  hours, 
or  given  themselves  more  unsparingly  to  their  high 
duties  than  this  body,  of  whom  Governor  Taft  was  not 
only  governor,  but  the  commanding  spirit  and  legisla- 
tive genius.  They  have  “toiled  terribly.”  I know 
whereof  I speak,  for  I have  been  a constant  and  inter- 
ested witness.  I knew  that  these  men  were  making 
history — history  which  would  not  only  be  read  with  un- 
failing interest  as  a contribution  to  the  literature  of  colo- 
nial administration,  but  which,  as  it  was  made,  and  after- 
wards, would  tell  tremendously  in  awakening  the  leth- 


Some  Constructive  Legislation.  171 

argic  and  immobile  Hast,  and  hastening  the  day  when 
the  vast  populations  of  insular  and  Continental  Asia 
should  come  to  their  own. 

The  Municipal  Code  was  enacted  into  law  January 
31,  1901.  It  was  one  of  the  first,  as  it  was  one  of  the 
most  fundamental,  of  the  constructive  acts  of  the  Com- 
mission. It  called  in  being  municipalities  practically 
autonomous,  with  a limited  electorate,  having  their 
operations  subject  to  the  scrutiny  and  criticism  of  a 
provincial  government  in  which  the  controlling  element 
must  be  American,  and  directly  responsible  to  the  in- 
sular government.  In  this  way  it  was  hoped  by  the 
Commission  that  a nucleus  of  patriotic  Filipinos  might 
be  brought  into  such  practical  familiarity  with  the  work- 
ings of  government  as  to  secure  correct  views  of  the 
duties  belonging  to  public  officers.  For  the  Commission 
well  says : 

“It  is  necessary  by  practical  lessons  and  actual  expe- 
rience to  eliminate  from  the  minds  of  the  more  intelli- 
gent part  of  the  community  who  form  the  electorate  those 
ideas  of  absolutism  in  government,  and  to  impress  the 
conception  of  a limitation  upon  power,  which  it  is  now 
so  difficult  for  them  to  understand.  In  addition  to  the 
defect  spoken  of.  there  is  another.  There  is  an  absolute 
lack  of  any  sense  of  responsibility  on  the  part  of  a public 
officer  to  the  public  at  large.  Office  has  always  been  re- 
garded as  a source  of  private  profit,  and  as  a means  of 
gratifying  private  desires,  either  hate  or  friendship.”* 

Some  of  the  salient  features  of  the  Municipal  Code 
— the  germ  of  the  government  to  be  established  in  these 
Islands — are  given  in  the  somewhat  extensive  quota- 
tions below.  They  will  speak  for  themselves : 

“Section  1.  (a)  The  pueblos  of  the  Philippine  Islands 

shall  be  recognized  as  municipal  corporations,  with  the 

^Report,  Vol.  I,  p.  20. 


172  The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 


same  boundaries  as  now  existing  de  jure  or  de  facto, 
upon  organization  under  the  provisions  of  this  Act. 

“(b)  This  Act  shall  not  apply  to  the  city  of  Manila, 
for  which  special  legislation  shall  be  enacted. 

“(c)  This  Act  shall  not  apply  to  the  settlements  of 
non-Christian  tribes,  for  which  special  legislation  shall 
be  enacted. 

“Sec.  2.  (a)  Pueblos  incorporated  under  this  Act  shall 
be  designated  as  municipalities  (municipios),  and  shall 
be  known  respectively  by  the  names  heretofore  adopted. 
Under  such  names  they  may  sue  and  be  sued,  contract 
and  be  contracted  with,  acquire  and  hold  real  and  per- 
sonal property  for  the  general  interests  of  the  municipal- 
ity, and  exercise  all  the  powers  hereinafter  conferred  upon 
them. 

“(b)  All  property  and  property  rights  vested  in  any 
pueblo  under  its  former  organization  shall  continue  to  be 
vested  in  the  same  municipality  after  its  corporation  under 
this  Act. 

“Sec.  3.  The  government  of  each  municipality  estab- 
lished under  this  Act  is  hereby  vested  in  a president,  a 
vice-president,  and  a Municipal  Council.  The  president 
and  the  councilors,  together  with  the  vice-president,  shall 
be  chosen  at  large  by  the  qualified  electors  of  the  munic- 
ipality, and  their  term  of  office  shall  be  for  two  years  from 
and  after  the  first  Monday  in  January  next  after  their 
election  and  until  their  successors  are  duly  chosen  and 
qualified ; Provided,  that  the  president  and  vice-president 
elected  in  1901  shall  hold  office  until  the  first  Monday 
in  January,  1903,  or  until  their  successors  arc  duly  cho- 
sen and  qualified,  and  that  the  councilors  elected  in  1901 
shall  divide  themselves  bv  lot  into  two  classes ; the  seats 
of  those  of  the  first  class  shall  be  vacated  on  the  first  Mon- 
day of  January,  1902,  and  those  of  the  second  class  one 
year  thereafter,  or  when  their  successors  are  duly  chosen 
and  qualified,  so  that  one-half  of  the  Municipal  Council 
shall  be  chosen  annually. 

“Sec.  4.  (a)  Incorporated  municipalities  shall  be  of 
four  classes  according  to  the  number  of  inhabitants.  Mu- 
nicipalities of  the  first  class  shall  be  those  which  contain 


So mk  Constructive  Legislation. 


i73 


not  less  than  25,000  inhabitants,  and  shall  have  eighteen 
councilors;  of  the  second  class,  those  containing  18,000 
and  less  than  25,000  inhabitants,  and  shall  have  fourteen 
councilors;  of  the  third  class,  those  containing  10,000 
and  less  than  18,000  inhabitants,  and  shall  have  ten  coun- 
cilors; of  the  fourth  class,  those  containing  less  than  10,- 
000  inhabitants,  and  shall  have  eight  councilors. 

“Chapter  II. 

“qualifications  of  electors — elections. 

“Sec.  6.  (a)  The  electors  charged  with  the  duty 
of  choosing  elective  municipal  officers  shall  be  male  per- 
sons, twenty-three  years  of  age  or  over,  who  have  had 
a legal  residence  in  the  municipality  in  which  they  exer- 
cise the  suffrage  for  a period  of  six  months  immediately 
preceding  the  election,  and  who  are  citizens  or  subjects 
of  the  following  three  classes : 

“(b)  Those  who,  prior  to  the  13th  of  August 
1898,  held  the  office  of  municipal  captain,  gobernadorcillo, 
alcalde,  lieutenant,  caboza  de  barangay,  or  member  of  any 
Ayuntamiento. 

“(c)  Those  who  own  real  property  to  the  value  of 
500  pesos,  or  who  annually  pay  thirty  pesos  or  more 
of  the  established  taxes. 

“(d)  Those  who  speak,  read,  and  write  English  or 
Spanish.” 

Persons  so  qualified  take  oath  to  be  loyal  to  the  gov- 
ernment of  the  United  States,  and  proceed  on  designated 
dates  to  choose  their  municipal  officials  "bv  secret  bal- 
lot.” The  election  must  be  held  in  the  public  municipal 
office,  and  is  presided  over  by  a Board  of  Election 
judges,  consisting  of  three  qualified  electors  who  are 
not  candidates  at  the  election  being  held.  Votes  cast 
for  a member  of  this  Board  are  declared  void.  The 
hours  of  voting  are  fixed  fom  8 A,  M.  to  4 P.  M.  Ample 


174  The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 

provisions  are  made  for  detecting  and  punishing  elec- 
tion frauds.  The  persons  declared  elected  take  the 
usual  oath,  and  assume  their  respective  duties. 

Chapter  III,  Section  15,  is  important,  in  view  of  the 
relation  of  the  friar  to  municipal  matters  in  all  the  past : 

“In  no  case  shall  there  be  elected  or  appointed  to  a 
municipal  office  ecclesiastics,  soldiers  in  active  service,  per- 
sons receiving  salaries  from  provincial,  departmental,  or 
governmental  funds,  or  contractors  for  public  works  of  the 
municipality.” 

From  the  report  of  the  Commission  I take  the  fol- 
lowing portions  of  a summary  of  the  relations  which 
friars  sustained  to  the  municipality  under  Spanish  rule. 
(Volume  II,  page  25.)  It  was  given  by  the  provincial 
of  the  Franciscan  Order: 

“He  [the  friar  curate]  was  inspector  of  primary 
schools;  president  of  the  Health  Board  and  Board  of 
Charities;  president  of  the  Board  of  Urban  Taxation;  in- 
spector of  taxation.  He  certified  to  the  correctness  of  the 
cedillas,  seeing  that  they  conformed  to  the  entries  in  the 
parish  books.  He  was  president  of  the  Board  of  Sta- 
tistics. He  was  president  of  the  census-taking  of  the 
town.  Every  year  they  drew  lots  for  those  who  were  to 
serve  in  the  army,  every  fifth  man  drawn  being  taken. 
They  disliked  the  service,  and  many  of  them  would  take 
to  the  woods,  and  the  civil  guard  would  have  to  go  after 
them,  and  bring  them  back.  There  were  many  desertions. 
He  was  censor  of  the  municipal  budgets.  He  was  presi- 
dent of  the  Prison  Board,  and  inspector  of  the  food  pro- 
vided for  the  prisoners.  He  was  also  a member  of  the 
Board  for  partitioning  Crown  Lands.  He  was  also  coun- 
selor for  the  Municipal  Council.  The  parish  priest  was 
also  the  supervisor  of  the  election  of  the  police  force.  He 
was  the  examiner  of  the  scholars  attending  the  first  and 
second  grades  in  the  public  schools.” 


Some  Constructive  Legislation. 


i75 


By  one  word  inserted  in  this  brief  section  the  baleful 
power  of  the  friar  over  the  whole  life  and  destiny  of  the 
people  is  forever  broken. 

Taxes  are  to  be  raised  from  land  and  certain  other 
specified  sources,  and  from  those  only.  They  are  never 
to  be  “farmed”  or  sold  to  the  highest  bidder  for  col- 
lection. but  are  to  be  collected  under  the  direction  of 
the  provincial  treasurer,  who  must  audit  all  municipal 
accounts. 

“Sec.  62.  There  shall  be  exempt  from  taxation 
burying-grounds,  churches  and  their  adjacent  parsonages 
or  conventos,  and  lands  and  buildings  used  exclusively 
for  religious,  charitable,  scientific,  or  educational  purposes, 
and  not  for  private  profit ; but  such  exemption  shall  not  ex- 
tend to  lands  or  buildings  held  for  investment,  though  the 
income  therefrom  be  devoted  to  religious,  charitable,  sci- 
entific, or  educational  purposes.” 

Presidentes,  or  mayors,  are  to  receive  from  $300  to 
$(3oo  (United  States  currency),  according  to  the  popu- 
lation of  the  municipality.  As  a concession  to  the  Fili- 
pino love  of  signs  of  authority,  it  is  specifically  provided 
that  the  presidente  “is  authorized  to  use,  as  a symbol 
of  office,  a black  cylindrical  cane,  with  gold  head,  silver 
ferrule,  and  silver  cord  and  tassels.” 

The  Council  is  ordered  to  do  certain  things,  and 
empowered  to  do  others.  It  is  interesting  and  encour- 
aging to  note  that  they  “shall  . . . provide  for  closing 
opium-joints,  and  prohibit  and  punish  the  keeping  or 
visiting  of  any  place  where  opium  is  smoked  or  sold  for 
the  purpose  of  smoking.”  (Section  39,  v.)  It  must 
“establish  and  maintain  schools.”  It  “may  . . . license, 
tax,  or  prohibit  cock-fighting,  and  the  keeping  or  train- 
ing of  fighting-cocks,  and  license,  tax,  or  close  cock- 
pits.” (Section  40.) 


176  The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 

On  the  whole,  the  Municipal  Code  is  admirably  ad- 
justed to  the  peculiarities  of  Philippine  conditions.  It 
has  been  in  more  or  less  successful  operation  in  over 
seven  hundred  municipalities  since  1901.  New  elec- 
tions took  place  early  in  the  year  1902,  with  far  less 
of  friction  and  fraud  than  was  to  be  anticipated. 

The  Provincial  Act  was  passed  exactly  one  week 
later — February  6,  1901.  Within  a few  months  its 
provisions  had  been  extended  to  practically  all  those 
provinces  which  had  been  pacified,  the  Commission 
passing  in  a kind  of  triumphal  journey  from  one  pro- 
vincial capital  to  another,  being  received  everywhere 
with  such  tumultuous  welcome  as  a highly  emotional 
people  delight  to  give  their  rulers.  As  the  area  of  peace 
has  steadily  widened,  the  Act  has  been  put  in  force  in 
all  parts  of  the  Archipelago  inhabited  by  Christianized 
Filipinos. 

The  elective  element  is  very  much  less  in  the  plan 
for  provincial  government  than  in  that  for  municipali- 
ties. Only  the  governor  is  chosen  by  ballot.  But  he  is 
the  chief  executive  officer  of  the  province,  and  his  power 
is  very  considerable. 

Section  4 prescribes  the  method  to  be  pursued  in 
choosing  a governor. 

“The  provincial  governor  shall  be  selected  in  the  fol- 
lowing manner:  On  the  first  Monday  of  February,  1902, 
and  of  each  second  year  thereafter,  the  councilors  of  every 
duly-organized  municipality  in  the  province  shall  meet 
in  joint  convention  at  the  capital  of  the  province,  and 
there,  after  selecting  a presiding  officer  and  secretary, 
shall  by  secret  ballot,  choose  a person  to  be  the  provin- 
cial governor.  A majority  of  those  present  and  entitled 
to  vote  shall  be  necessary  to  elect.  The  action  of  the  Con- 
vention shall  be  forwarded  to  the  Commission  by  the  sec- 


Some  Constructive  Legislation.  177 

rotary  of  the  Convention,  after  being  duly  certified  by  the 
presiding  officer  of  the  Convention  and  by  the  secretary. 
The  Commission  shall  then  confirm  the  selection  of  the 
person  named,  unless  it  shall  find  that  he  was  unfairly 
elected,  that  he  is  ineligible,  or  that  there  is  reasonable 
ground  to  suspect  his  loyalty.  If  the  Commission  shall 
decline  to  confirm  the  person  named,  the  Convention  shall 
be  reconvened  at  a time  fixed  by  the  Commission,  and  a 
second  election  had.  If  the  appointment  at  the  second 
election  is  not  confirmed,  then  the  Commission  shall  ap- 
point the  governor.  The  term  of  the  governor  thus  elected 
or  appointed  shall  begin  on  the  first  Monday  in  March, 
and  continue  for  two  years  thereafter,  and  until  his  suc- 
cessor shall  have  been  duly  elected  and  qualified. 

“Sec.  5.  The  provincial  secretary,  the  provincial  treas- 
urer, the  provincial  supervisor,  and  the  provincial  fiscal 
(or  prosecuting  attorney)  shall  be  appointed  by  the  Com- 
mission to  hold  office  during  its  pleasure.  With  the  ex- 
ception of  the  provincial  fiscal,  they  shall,  after  March 
1st  (1902)  be  selected  under  the  provisions  and  restric- 
tions of  the  Civil  Service  Act.  The  provincial  secretary 
shall  be  able  to  speak  and  write  the  Spanish  language, 
and  after  January  1,  1906,  the  English  language  also.  The 
provincial  supervisor  shall  be  a competent  civil  engineer 
and  surveyor.” 

A Provincial  Board,  made  up  of  the  governor,  treas- 
urer, and  supervisor,  is  constituted  by  the  Act,  and  this 
Board  becomes  a kind  of  Executive  Committee  dealing 
with  taxation,  improvements,  police,  and  all  other  mat- 
ters coining  up  in  the  province.  This  Board  is  re- 
quired to  hold  regular  weekly  meetings,  and  keep  an 
exact  record  of  all  its  decisions.  Land  tax  shall  not 
exceed  three-eighths  of  one  per  cent  on  the  basis  of 
assessments  elsewhere  provided  for.  All  financial  mat- 
ters are  safely  guarded,  and  the  rights  and  powers  of 
each  provincial  officer  carefully  set  forth.  Taxation 


12 


178  The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 


must  be  just,  uniform,  and  honestly  collected.  Vagrancy, 
lawlessness,  and  all  forms  of  disloyalty  are  to  be  watched 
and  rigorously  suppressed.  Any  provincial  officer  who 
is  dishonorable,  disloyal,  or  inefficient  may  be  removed 


TWO-MILE  LIMIT  POST,  NEAR  MANILA. 

( No  liquor  can  be  sold  within  two  miles  of  the  fort  beyond. ) 

by  the  Commission  according  to  a method  of  procedure 
fully  set  forth  in  section  19.  Though  much  more  brief 
than  the  Municipal  Code,  the  Provincial  Act  seems  to 
cover  the  entire  field  of  legislation  needed  thus  far. 
Through  the  officials  who  have  been  selected  and  placed 
in  charge  of  municipalities  and  provinces  under  these 


Some  Constructive  Legislation. 


179 


two  specimens  of  constructive  legislation  the  Philippine 
Islands  are  being  governed  to-day.  By  this  I mean 
that  government,  as  it  touches  the  lives  of  the  great  mul- 
titudes of  the  Archipelago,  is  made  up  of  the  operations 
of  these  two  Acts.  Under  these  Acts  taxes  are  col- 
lected and  applied.  Under  these  Acts  bridges  are  built, 
roads  are  built,  schools  financed,  and  all  the  executive 
work  of  government  among  the  masses  carried  forward. 
Governor  Wright  and  the  Commission  are  unknown  to 
the  tao  in  his  remote  provincial  towns.  But  he  knows 
the  presidente  and  municipal  councilors,  and  the  provin- 
cial governor  and  other  officials  touch  his  life  almost 
every  month  of  the  year. 

The  results  thus  far  are  highly,  encouraging.  Of 
course  it  is  hard  for  municipal  and  provincial  officials 
to  understand  that  absolutism  is  gone,  never  to  return, 
that  Church  and  State  are  absolutely  separate,  and  that 
public  office  is  a public  trust  to  be  administered  for  the 
public  weal.  I11  one  municipality  the  Council  passed 
an  ordinance  regulating  the  fees  to  be  charged  by  the 
Filipino  priest  for  marriage;  burials,  baptisms,  and  mass ! 
The  priest  fled  to  Manila,  laid  his  grievance  before  Gov- 
ernor Taft,  who  addressed  an  open  letter  to  the  then 
governor  of  that  province,  and  through  him  to  the  Coun- 
cils of  the  various  municipalities.  The  letter  was  a 
plain,  clear  statement  of  the  complete  separation  be- 
tween civil  and  religious  authority,  and  it  has  done  much 
to  clear  befogged  clerical  and  lay  minds  on  that  vital 
topic.  In  a municipality  visited  less  than  a month  ago 
the  presidente  obliges  the  priest  bv  putting  orders  to 
collect  contributions  for  masses  to  be  sung  in  tbe  name 
of  the  patron  village  saint  at  the  foot  of  orders  about  the 
cleaning  of  streets,  removing  rubbish,  and  other  matters 


% 


180  The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 

falling  rightfully  within  his  jurisdiction.  He  will  prob- 
ably be  summarily  dismissed  from  office  as  both  a just 
punishment  and  a needed  warning. 

The  Constabulary  Act,  passed  July  18,  1901,  pro- 
vides a civil  police  or  constabulary  force  for  the  entire 
Archipelago,  “for  the  purpose  of  better  maintaining 
peace,  law,  and  order  in  the  various  provinces  of  the 
Philippine  Islands.” 

The  chief  of  this  force  and  the  first  of  his  four  as- 
sistant chiefs  remain  at  headquarters  in  Manila,  which 
is  made  one  of  the  four  divisions  of  the  Islands  for  police 
purposes.  At  the  chief  city  of  each  of  the  other  three 
divisions  another  assistant  chief  is  stationed,  to  have 
immediate  command  of  the  forces  in  his  division.  “Not 
less  than  fifteen  privates,  one  sergeant,  and  one  corporal, 
and  not  more  than  one  hundred  and  fifty  privates,  four 
sergeants,  and  eight  corporals  may  be  maintained  in  each 
province.”  Terms  of  enlistment  are  for  two  years.  The 
chief  is  appointed  by  the  governor,  by  and  with  the  con- 
sent of  the  Commission.  The  expense  of  maintaining 
this  uniformed  body  of  civil  police,  or  constabulary,  is 
borne  by  the  gener,  or  “insular”  treasury,  and  the  en- 
tire force,  with  that  of  about  six-thousand  Filipino 
troops,  called  “scouts,”  are  responsive  to  orders  from 
headquarters. 

There  has  been  more  severe  criticism  of  this  branch 
of  the  public  service  than  of  any  other.  Some  of  the 
trouble  arose  from  suddenly  placing  Filipinos  in  places 
of  authority  for  which  experience  and  self-restraint  had 
not  fitted  them.  Much  of  the  friction  has  been  caused 
by  the  entire  newness  of  the  plan  and  by  the  chaotic 
condition  in  which  affairs  were  left  after  five  years  of 
unbroken  guerrilla  warfare.  A heritage  of  hatred,  sus- 


Some  Constructive  Legislation. 


i 8 i 


picion,  and  general  lawlessness  was  certain  to  be  left 
after  such  conditions  had  prevailed  over  so  many  years. 
Men  on  the  constabulary  force  had  relatives  and  ac- 
quaintances among  the  lawless  element,  and  it  was  not 
always  easy  to  keep  sheep  and  goats  separated.  The 
constabulary  has  done  an  immense  amount  of  solid 
work.  Few  natives  comparatively,  have  been  “untrue 
to  their  salt.”  Gangs  of  cutthroats  have  been  arrested, 
whole  provinces  rid  of  pestiferous  cattle-thieves  and 
conspirators,  and  a general  cleaning  up  accomplished. 
The  efficiency  of  this  arm  of  service,  under  General  Al- 
ien and  Colonel  Scott,  will  steadily  increase,  until  it  has 
done  for  the  Philippines  what  the  civil  police  in  Burma 
have  accomplished  under  like  conditions. 

Brigandage  is  chronic  in  the  Philippines.  It  has 
been  so  for  more  than  a century.  No  possible  provision 
could  have  been  made  for  its  immediate  eradication. 
Industrial  and  commercial  prosperity  will  greatly  ease 
the  burdens  borne  now  by  the  constabulary  and  the 
courts.  War,  plague,  cholera,  locusts,  and  rinderpest 
sweeping  off  in  one  year  seventy  per  cent  of  the  cara- 
bao— the  farm  animals  of  this  agricultural  country — 
these  evils,  added  to  the  aftermath  of  a long  and  wast- 
ing war,  and  social  and  economic  maladjustments  af- 
fecting the  daily  lives  of  millions  of  people  always  on 
the  edge  of  need,  have  pushed  many  over  the  line  into 
lawlessness.  The  constabulary  has  hard  tasks  and  must 
use  poor  tools.  But  the  creation  of  a policing  force  for 
seven  millions  of  peoples,  and  the  attainment  of  some 
degree  of  success  in  less  than  three  years’  time  in  the 
face  of  the  terrible  conditions  which  confronted  the 
Commission,  is  an  achievement  of  no  small  magnitude. 
Municipal  and  provincial  government  would  to-day  col- 


182  The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 


lapse  if  the  strong  arm  of  the  constabulary  were  with- 
drawn, and  it  would  become  necessary  to  summon  the 
military  force  which  was  their  first  deliverer  and  pro- 
tector. 

On  June  n,  1901,  the  Act  authorizing  the  new  judi- 
cial system  was  passed.  When  one  reflects  upon  the 
unique  relation  of  the  administration  of  justice  to  the 
welfare  and  safety  of  a nation,  the  fundamental  im- 
portance of  such  legislation  will  be  apparent.  It  was 
found  that  the  Spanish  system  could  not  be  so  amended 
as  to  meet  the  needs  of  the  case.  Their  courts  were 
too  often  courts  of  injustice.  A new  system  was  de- 
manded. The  Act  provides  for  three  kinds  of  courts, — 
a Supreme  Court  of  seven  members,  Courts  of  First 
Instance,  and  Justice  Courts.  The  Supreme  Court  is 
made  up  of  seven  members,  the  chief  justice  receiving 
$7,500  (United  States  currency)  annually,  and  the  as- 
sociate justices  $7,000  each.  It  has  the  work  commonly 
falling  to  such  bodies  in  our  States.  It  has  original 
jurisdiction  to  issue  writs  of  mandamus,  certiorari,  pro- 
hibition, habeas  corpus,  and  quo  warranto,  as  prescribed 
in  the  new  Code  of  Civil  Procedure,  another  great  piece 
of  constructive  legislation,  the  mere  index  of  it  filling 
six  pages  folio ! 

Courts  of  First  Instance  are  established  for  groups 
of  provinces.  There  are  fourteen  Judicial  Districts,  and 
that  number  of  judges  hold  court  in  each  province  in 
regular  succession.  Courts  of  First  Instance,  also,  have 
appellate  as  well  as  original  jurisdiction.  They  dispose 
of  the  more  important  civil  and  criminal  cases.  Courts 
of  Justices  of  the  Peace  were  established  by  military 
orders  before  the  Commission  took  up  its  duties.  All 
these  are  “recognized  and  continued”  by  this  Act,  and 


Some  Constructive  Legislation.  183 

the  justices  of  such  courts  ordered  to  continue  in  office 
“during  the  pleasure  of  the  Commission.” 

Each  municipality  has  its  justice  of  the  peace.  In 
the  entire  Archipelago  there  are  now  more  than  seven 
hundred  such  judicial  officers,  at  work  under  this  truly 
great  Act. 

Four  members  of  the  Supreme  Court  are  Amer- 
icans; three  are  Filipinos.  The  chief  justice  is  a Fili- 
pino— Don  Cayetano  Arallano — a man  of  probity  and 
unquestioned  legal  ability.  Nine  Americans  and  five 
Filipinos  make  up  the  list  of  judges  of  the  Courts  of 
First  Instance.  Their  salaries  range  from  $5,500  for 
the  two  who  hold  court  in  Manila,  to  $4,000  for  those 
whose  work  is  less,  both  in  amount  and  difficulty,  and 
who  live  in  less  expensive  centers.  The  Act  provides 
for  an  attorney-general,  who  performs  the  duties  usual 
in  such  an  office.  His  salary  is  fixed  at  $5,500. 

The  operation  of  these  courts  has  dried  up  bribery 
in  all  cases  above  justice  courts.  It  has  taught  the 
poorest  and  the  richest  that  cases  are  decided  by  the 
weight  of  evidence,  and  not  by  fear,  affection,  envy,  nor 
interests  of  a more  practical  character.  Each  occupant 
of  a judicial  position  from  chief  justice  to  the  justice 
of  the  peace  has  to  take  a solemn  oath  of  loyalty  to  the 
United  States,  and  swear  saying,  “I  will  administer 
justice  without  respect  of  persons,  and  do  equal  right 
to  the  poor  and  to  the  rich.”  And  this  is  a new  thing  in 
these  Islands.  It  is  the  beginning  of  the  reign  of  Him 
who  “shall  not  fail  nor  be  discouraged  till  He  have  set 
judgment  in  the  earth;  and  the  isles  shall  wait  for  His 
law.” 

These  and  the  Health  Acts,  by  which  we  are  sani- 
tizing all  the  cities,  the  new  Land  Act,  under  which  the 


184  The  Philippines  and  the  Par  East. 


poorest  may  take  a forty-acre  homestead  and  have  it 
free  for  five  years’  occupation  and  use,  the  Civil  Service 
Act,  the  Penal  Code,  and  Land  Registration  Act,  the 
Civil  Marriage  Law,  and  a score  more,  all  fill  the  heart 
of  a lover  of  righteousness  with  confidence  for  the  suc- 
cess of  our  work  in  the  Philippines.* 

* List  of  twenty-five  more  Acts  of  far-reaching  benefit  to  the 
Philippines : 

1.  Act  creating  Bureau  of  Agriculture. 

2.  Prevention  of  Cruelty  to  Animals. 

3.  Act  preventing  wanton  destruction  of  timber  on  public 
lands. 

4.  Act  defining  and  prohibiting  libel,  and  printing,  selling,  or 
exhibiting  obscene  books,  pictures,  etc. 

5.  Act  providing  for  examination  of  banks.  (No.  52.) 

6.  Code  of  Civil  Procedure.  (No.  190.)  Index  alone  fills  six 
folio  pages. 

7.  Act  Abolishing  Slavery  among  Moros. 

8.  Act  creating  Bureau  of  Coast  Guard  and  Transportation. 
(No.  226.) 

9.  Customs  Administrative  Act.  (No.  355.)  Index  alone  fills 
forty-four  folio  pages. 

10.  Act  creating  Forestry  Bureau. 

11.  Mining  Bureau  Act. 

12.  Act  regulating  the  Practice  of  Medicine  and  Surgery. 

13.  Charter  of  Manila. 

14.  Currency  Act  (establishing  gold  basis). 

15.  Act  creating  Bureau  of  Non-Christian  Tribes  (now  Bureau 
of  Ethnology). 

16.  Act  establishing  Government  Laboratories. 

17.  Act  establishing  Provincial  Health  Boards.  (No.  307.) 

18.  Act  providing  for  control  and  management  of  jails.  (No.  413.) 

19.  Act  creating  Bureau  of  Public  Lands.  (No.  218.) 

20.  Act  authorizing  all  Protestant  denominations  to  hold  land 
for  Church  purposes.  (No.  271.) 

21.  Act  establishing  Weather  Bureau.  (No.  131.) 

22.  Act  making  vaccination  compulsory.  (No.  309.) 

23.  Act  establishing  the  Summer  Capital  at  Baguio,  Benguet. 

24.  Act  providing  for  Municipal  Cemeteries. 

25.  Penal  Code. 


CHAPTER  XII. 


Educating  a Nation. 

From  the  very  beginning  of  American  occupation  all 
classes  of  Americans  have  recognized  the  fundamental 
necessity  of  establishing  and  maintaining  free  public 
schools  for  the  Filipino  people.  Such  a step  was  in  line 
with  their  most  dearly-cherished  ambitions.  Their 
struggle  with  the  Spanish  government  had  made  their 
leaders  painfully  conscious  of  the  defects  of  the  educa- 
tional system  under  which  they  had  been  trained,  and 
keenly  alive  to  the  importance  of  schools  carried  on  in 
the  modern  spirit  and  with  the  help  of  modern  apparatus. 

In  i860,  when  O’Connell  was  Spanish  minister  for 
the  colonies,  a public  school  law  for  the  Philippines  was 
enacted.  It  ordered  a public  school  established  in  every 
pueblo,  and  made  instruction  in  the  Spanish  languages 
of  primary  importance.  The  Bill  was  weak  in  that  it 
made  the  Archbishop  of  the  Philippines  an  ex-officio 
member  of  the  Board  having  control  of  the  system,  and 
the  friar  curate  in  the  several  pueblos  inspectors.  Span- 
ish Liberals  urged  the  practical  realization  of  this  scheme 
of  popular  education  with  great  vigor ; but  the  Philip- 
pines were  far  away,  and,  worst  of  all,  the  Roman  Cath- 
olic Church  authorities  in  the  Islands  were  either  luke- 
warm or  openly  hostile.  As  a consequence  they  did  as 
little  as  possible  to  put  the  plan  in  force.  At  the  be- 
ginning of  the  American  occupation,  such  schools  were 


1S5 


186  The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 

in  operation ; but  they  did  not  reach  the  masses,  and  were 
weak  in  every  wav.  If  any  reader  deem  my  opinion  on 
this  subject  warped  and  unfair,  let  him  hear  what  the 
general  superintendent  of  public  instruction,  Dr.  David 
P.  Barrows,  says  in  his  Annual  Report  for  1902-03 : 

“In  the  second  place,  the  Spanish  school  system, 
though  founded  and  supported  by  the  government,  was 
never  secular  in  character.  The  Spanish  friar,  who  was 
the  pueblo  curate,  was  always  the  local  inspector  of  the 
school,  and  not  only  directed  its  conduct,  but  determined 
the  subjects  which  should  be  taught.  In  the  brief  and 
imperfect  course  of  primary  instruction  which  was  given 
in  these  little  schools,  Church  catechism,  Church  doctrine, 
and  sacred  history  were  emphasized  almost  to  the  exclu- 
sion of  the  other  subjects  which  were  necessary  to  fit  the 
Filipino  child  for  his  position  in  life,  whether  it  be  humble 
or  fortunate.  This,  however,  was  not  the  sole  unfortunate 
effect  of  this  arrangement.  Whatever  may  be  said  in  praise 
of  the  work  of  religious  orders  in  these  islands,  it  can  not 
be  denied  that  their  attitude  during  the  last  fifty,  and  par- 
ticularly the  final  thirty,  years  of  their  influence  here,  was 
excessively  hostile  toward  the  enlightenment  of  the  Fili- 
pino. They  actively  sought  to  debar  the  Filipino  from 
any  sort  of  modern  knowledge,  from  gaining  a position  of 
independence  and  self-respect,  and  from  entrance  into 
any  kind  of  leadership  of  his  own  race.  Tt  was,  in  fact, 
this  obstructive  and  reactionary  policy  on  the  part  of  the 
class  that  most  immediately  affected  their  lives  that  pro- 
voked the  Filipinos  into  open  hostility  and  rebellion.” 

The  first  Philippine  Commission  in  one  of  its  earliest 
Reports  says : 

“He  | the  Filipino]  is  at  all  events,  keenly  alive  to  the 
drawbacks  under  which  he  has  thus  far  labored,  and 
strongly  desirous  of  securing  better  educational  advan- 
tages. In  the  opinion  of  the  Commission,  the  govern- 
ment established  in  the  Islands  should  promptly  provide 


THE  SHIP  THAT  BROUGHT  THE  TEACHERS,  AUGUST  23,1901. 


Educating  a Nation. 


189 


for  the  fulfillment  of  this  reasonable  and  most  praise- 
worthy desire  by  the  establishment  of  an  adequate  sys- 
tem of  secularized  and  free  public  schools.” 

The  School  Act  (No.  74)  was  passed  bv  the  Commis- 
sion, January  21,  1901,  before  the  Municipal  Code  or 
the  Provincial  Act.  It  was  one  of  the  "first  things,”  and 
was,  therefore,  done  "first.”  It  is  entitled  “An  Act  Es- 
tablishing a Department  of  Public  Instruction  in  the 
Philippine  Islands.”  Some  of  its  most  important  pro- 
visions are  given  in  full : 

“Section  1.  A Department  of  Public  Instruction  for 
the  Philippine  Islands  is  hereby  established,  the  central 
office  of  which  shall  be  in  the  city  of  Manila.  All  pri- 
mary instruction  in  the  schools  established  or  maintained 
under  this  Act  shall  be  free. 

“Sec.  2.  All  schools  heretofore  established  in  the  Phil- 
ippine Islands  under  the  auspices  of  the  military  gov- 
ernment, are  hereby  declared  to  be  in  the  Department 
of  Public  Instruction  established  by  Section  1,  and  are 
made  subject  to  the  control  of  the  officers  of  this  de- 
partment. 

“Sec.  3.  The  chief  officer  of  this  department  who  shall 
be  denominated  the  General  Superintendent  of  Public  In- 
struction shall  be  appointed  by  the  Commission.  His 
annual  salary  shall  be  six  thousand  dollars.  . . . 

“Sec.  4.  There  shall  be  a superior  Advisory  Board 
of  Education  composed  of  the  general  superintendent  and 
four  members  to  be  appointed  by  the  Commission.  . . . 

It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  Board  to  assist  the  general 
superintendent  by  advice  and  information  concerning  the 
educational  needs  and  conditions  of  the  Islands ; to  make 
such  investigations  as  the  general  superintendent  may 
desire,  and  to  make  recommendations  to  the  Commission 
from  time  to  time  as  to  needed  amendments  to  the 
law.” 

In  sections  4-13  provision  is  made  for  a city  super- 


190  This  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 

intendent  in  Manila  at  a salary  of  three  thousand  dol- 
lars, for  division  superintendents,  not  to  exceed  ten  in 
number,  at  salaries  varying  from  two  thousand  to  twen- 
ty-five hundred  dollars,  and  for  local  School  Boards,  of 
four  or  six  members,  one-half  of  whom  shall  be  elected 
by  the  Municipal  Council,  and  one-half  appointed  by  the 
division  superintendent,  to  hold  office  during  his  pleasure. 

“Sec.  14.  The  English  language  shall,  as  soon  as  prac- 
ticable, be  made  the  basis  of  all  public-school  instruc- 
tion, and  soldiers  may  be  detailed  as  instructors  until  such 
time  as  they  may  be  replaced  by  trained  teachers. 

“Sec.  15.  Authority  is  hereby  given  to  the  general 
superintendent  of  public  instruction  to  obtain  from  the 
United  States  one  thousand  trained  teachers,  at  monthly 
salaries  of  not  less  than  seventy-five  dollars,  and  not  more 
than  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  dollars,  the  exact  sal- 
ary of  each  teacher  to  be  fixed  by  the  general  superin- 
tendent. . . . 

“Sec.  16.  No  teacher  or  other  person  shall  teach  or 
•criticise  the  doctrines  of  any  Church,  religious  sect,  or  de- 
nomination, or  shall  attempt  to  influence  pupils  for  or 
against  any  Church  or  religious  sect  in  any  public  school 
established  under  this  Act.  If  any  teacher  shall  inten- 
tionally violate  this  section,  he  or  she  shall,  after  due 
hearing  be  dismissed  from  the  public  service:  Provided, 
hozvever,  that  it  shall  be  lawful  for  the  priest  or  minister 
of  any  Church  established  in  the  pueblo  where  a public 
school  is  situated,  either  in  person  or  by  a designated 
teacher  of  religion,  to  teach  religion  for  one-half  an  hour 
three  times  a week  in  the  school  building  to  those  public- 
school  pupils  whose  parents  or  guardians  desire  it,  and 
express  their  desire  therefor  in  writing  filed  with  the  prin- 
cipal teacher  of  the  school,  to  be  forwarded  to  the  division 
superintendent,  who  shall  fix  the  hours  and  rooms  for 
such  teaching.  But  no  public-school  teacher  shall  either 
conduct  exercises  or  teach  religion,  or  act  as  a designated 
religious  teacher  in  the  school  building  under  the  forego- 
ing authority,  and  no  pupil  shall  be  required  by  any  public- 


TYPICAL  SCHOOLROOM.  AMERICAN  TEACHER  AT  THE  REAR. 


Educating  a Nation. 


i93 


school  teacher  to  attend  and.  receive  the  religious  instruc- 
tion herein  permitted.  Should  the  opportunity  thus  given 
to  teach  religion  be  used  by  the  priest,  minister,  or  re- 
ligious teacher  for  the  purpose  of  arousing  disloyalty 
to  the  United  States,  or  discouraging  the  attendance  of 
pupils  at  such  public  schools,  of  creating  a disturbance 
of  public  order,  or  of  interfering  with  the  discipline  of  the 
school,  the  division  superintendent,  subject  to  the  approval 
of  the  general  superintendent  of  public  instruction,  may, 
after  due  investigation  and  hearing,  forbid  such  offending 
priest,  minister,  or  religious  teacher.” 

Sections  17-19  provide  for  normal,  trade,  and  agri- 
cultural schools,  and  the  concluding  sections  of  the  Act 
relate  to  plans  for  buildings  and  details  of  finance  and 
general  administration. 

August  23,  1901,  the  United  States  army  transport 
Thomas  landed  five  hundred  and  forty-two  trained 
American  teachers  in  Manila.  All  were  graduates  of 
university,  college,  or  normal  school,  and  nearly  all  men 
and  women  of  experience.  It  was  my  privilege  to  be 
at  the  wharf  to  render  such  aid  as  was  possible  in  wel- 
coming this  new  army  of  invasion.  History  was  made 
that  day.  The  United  States  had  begun  the  education 
of  a nation.  This  gay,  laughing,  light-hearted  crowd  of 
teachers  were  to  begin  in  all  seriousness  that  work  which 
would  alone  make  it  possible  for  the  petty  races  and 
tribal  divisions  of  these  Islands  to  be  one  people.  Some 
of  us,  who  had  long  lived  in  the  East,  could  assess  in 
some  general  way  the  significance  of  that  23d  of  August, 
not  only,  let  us  hope,  for  the  Filipino  people,  but  for 
the  hundreds  of  millions  who  sit  about  the  shores  of  the 
Pacific  in  the  Far  East.  History  had  no  parallel  to  that 
event.  So  poor  and,  too  often,  so  vicious,  had  been 
the  teaching  and  example  of  those  who  were  their  edu- 
cational leaders,  that  the  poorest  and  weakest  specimen 
13 


194 


The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 


of  an  American  teacher  in  this  shipload  of  pedagogues 
would  be  immeasurably  better  as  a civilizing  and  up- 
lifting agency  among  the  people. 

Within  a few  weeks  this  large  body  of  teachers  had 
been  stationed  and  were  face-to-face  with  the  possibili- 
ties and  discouragements  of  their  tasks.  The  difficul- 
ties were  almost  unthinkable  to  the  untraveled.  War, 
or  “that  sort  of  passive  bushwhacking  which  the  Fili- 
pino calls  war,”  had  kept  commercial  and  social  condi- 
tions unsettled  for  years.  Antagonisms  born  of  guer- 
rilla warfare  left  families  and  neighborhoods  embittered 
against  one  another.  A people  who  had  been  con- 
quered were  hardly  prepared  to  kiss  the  rod  that  smote 
them.  Whole  areas  were  still  so  unsafe  that  military 
forces  were  in  possession,  and  no  officer  or  man  left  tent 
or  barracks  without  arms.  All  living  arrangements  were 
strange,  and  lamentably  insufficient  for  health,  to  say 
nothing  of  comfort.  With  no  knowledge  of  Spanish  or 
the  local  vernaculars,  and  with  absolutely  no  way  of 
making  their  wants  known  to  local  officials  who  voted 
supplies,  and  otherwise  helped  or  hindered  their  work, 
— with  all  these,  and  many  difficulties  and  drawbacks  not 
to  be  recited, — the  American  teachers  began  their  work 
of  teaching  the  English  language  to  Filipino  children. 
That  so  many  have  braved  it  out  and  kept  on  at  their 
work,  and  that  during  these  three  years  they  have  been 
compacted  into  a united,  alert,  and  well-adjusted  body  of 
teachers,  is  a tribute  to  the  American  gift  of  adaptation, 
and  to  the  real  courage  and  staying  power  of  these 
pedagogical  pioneers,  that  the  great  body  of  their  coun- 
trymen should  appreciate.  They  have  staid.  They 
are  welded  into  one  body.  They  do  clearly  see  their 
tasks.  The  “ship  has  found  herself.”  From  close  and 
somewhat  wide  acquaintance  with  these  workers  to- 


SCHOOL  GROUP,  PAGSANJAN,  PROVINCE  OF  LAGUNA,  LUZON. 


Educating  a Nation. 


197 


gether  for  the  good  of  this  people,  I am  sure  that  the 
force  wielded  by  the  American  teacher  to-day  is  easily 
the  most  potent  single  factor  in  disarming  hostility  to 
American  rule,  and  securing  those  beneficent  ends  for 
which,  and  for  which  alone,  we  hold  these  Islands. 

Opposition  to  the  public  school  has  come  from  two 
classes, — the  friar,  and  the  prosperous  classes.  How- 
ever skillful  in  “hiding  the  hand,”  it  is  very  clear  who 
have  “thrown  the  stones.” 

The  Commission  were  gravely  admonished  that  no 
system  of  schools  which  did  not  provide  for  religious 
education — meaning  Catholic  education — could  have 
even  a chance  of  success.  Dr.  Barrows  well  says  in  his 
Report,  “There  has  been  no  case  of  greater  misrepre- 
sentation.” 

So  thoroughly  had  the  Church  people  captured  the 
Commission  with  their  news  that  they  put  the  Faribault 
proviso  at  the  close  of  section  16  of  the  Act.  as  quoted 
in  this  chapter.  If  the  members  of  the  Commission  had 
known  the  hostility  of  that  Church  to  any  system  of 
free  public  schools,  they  would  have  seen  the  utter  futil- 
ity of  such  a feeble  concession.  With  very  inconsid- 
erable exceptions,  that  well-meant  proviso  has  been  in 
a condition  of  “innocuous  desuetude”  from  the  day  of 
its.  enactment.  What  the  Catholic  leaders  want  is 
Church  teaching  at  public  expense.  May  the  day  be 
far  distant  when  they,  or  the  authorities  of  any  other 
denomination,  get  it ! 

The  opposition  of  the  Church  has  taken  three  chief 
forms : 

(1)  A systematic  effort  to  keep  pupils  from  attend- 
ing the  schools.  Parents  were  threatened  with  ecclesias- 
tical disabilities  in  this  world,  and  eternal  fire  afterward, 
if  they  permitted  their  children  to  enter  them.  Word 


198  The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 


went  from  Manila  to  Filipino  incumbents  of  the  parishes 
where  the  Spanish  friar  formerly  ruled  like  a nabob, 
and  they  did,  and  still  do,  their  poor  best  to  keep  the 
faithful  in  line.  A friar  wrote  as  follows  to  an  American 
priest  early  in  1901  : 

“Concerning  the  data  that  you  ask  me  on  the  present 
educational  situation,  all  I can  say  is,  that  a vigorous  cam- 
paign was  made  against  the  forced  invasion  of  the  Amer- 
ican teachers.  During  a few  months  not  a newspaper  was 
published  (La  Democracia  excepted,  of  course)  without 
containing  strong  protests,  not  only  from  the  teachers, 
male  or  female,  but  also  from  the  fathers  of  families.  It 
was  a touching  tribute  of  faith  in  these  people  to  fear 
sending  their  children  to  non-Catholic  schools.  These 
fears,  as  you  will  see,  were  not  without  foundation.” 

This  form  of  opposition  succeeded  in  part  at  first. 
But,  speaking  broadly,  the  fact  remains  that  it  has  failed, 
and  failed  finally.  The  schools  arc  filled  to  overflowing, 
and  the  parents  are  more  than  satisfied  with  the  results. 

(2)  The  establishment  of  rival  schools,  directly  or 
indirectly  controlled  by  the  Church.  On  this  point  I 
quote  again  from  the  friar  witness  mentioned  above,  and 
could  fill  pages  with  equally  good  proofs  of  this  form 
of  hostility : 

“Scarcely  was  the  coming  of  the  new  teachers  an- 
nounced, when  the  Filipino  Catholics,  knowing  that  many 
of  the  beautiful  home  schools  which  had  been  built  under 
the  Spanish  government  would  be  handed  over  to  these 
strangers,  raised  a fund  to  build  schools,  where,  at  the 
same  time,  both  science  and  religion  could  lie  taught  to 
their  children.  The  results  were  most  satisfactory.  In  a 
few  months  many  Catholic  schools  were  opened,  and  a 
great  number  of  pupils  of  both  sexes  chose  these  in  pref- 
erence to  the  others. 

“Here  in  Manila,  and  still  more  in  the  provinces,  the 
schools  supervised  by  non-Catholics  were  day  after  day 


GIRLS'  PUBLIC  SCHOOL. 


Educating  a Nation. 


201 


deserted,  so  much  so  that  a few  of  these  teachers,  ashamed 
of  receiving  a good  salary  without  earning  it,  or,  what 
is  more  probable,  carried  away  by  the  spirit  of  opposition, 
took  the  liberty  more  than  once  of  entering  by  force  the 
Catholic  schools  and  obliging  the  children  to  come  to 
theirs.  These  crimes  were  repeated  in  many  cities.  Im- 
partial newspapers  protested,  asking  where  is  the  much- 
vaunted  freedom  of  education?  But  these  teachers  often 
succeeded  by  unfair  means  in  intimidating  the  fathers  of 
Catholic  children.” 

Some  of  these  rival  schools  are  fairly  good  in  certain 
branches.  But  as  a whole  they  are  weak  in  staff,  and 
still  more  painfully  behind  the  age  in  their  courses  of 
study.  They  have  no  apparatus.  Often  the  school  meets 
in  a house  where  domestic  labors  go  forward,  while  a 
dozen  children  monotonously  sing  the  catechism  and 
prayers  of  the  Church.  I saw  such  a school  recently  in 
a house  where  a woman  was  running  a noisy  sewing- 
machine,  two  men  were  gambling  with  much  loud  talk, 
and  two  others  were  repairing  the  floor  with  saw  and 
hammer ! But  it  was  a school.  It  taught  doctrine.  It 
kept  the  children  from  the  contamination  of  the  “secu- 
lar” public  school. 

In  Manila  twenty-nine  Catholic  schools  were  opened 
between  May  and  December  of  1901.  The  reports  of 
division  superintendents  for  1902-3  will  show  that  the 
antagonism  of  the  Church  takes  this  form  yet,  and  is 
measurably  successful  in  certain  localities.  From  one 
of  the  better  class  of  these  Catholic  schools  in  a provin- 
cial town  not  far  from  Manila  I secured  the  advertised 
course  of  study.  I give  it  with  the  letter  of  the  friend 
who  sent  it  to  me. 

“Dear  Dr.  Stuntz, — In  the  school  that  I spoke  to  you 
about,  three  books  are  used ; namely,  ‘Catecismo  de  la 
Doctrina  Cristiana,’  by  Gaspar  Astete ; ‘The  Manual  de  la 


202  The  Philippines  and  the  Par  East. 


Infancia,’  got  up  by  the  Jesuits,  and  for  sale  in  Manila; 
and  ‘Paginas  de  la  Infancia,’  a Spanish  reading-book  com- 
posed of  short  stories  with  morals. 

“The  first  book  is  nothing  hut  an  ordinary  catechism, 
small  and  very  simple.  The  second  book,  ‘Manual  of 
Infancy,’  is  a general  text-hook  of  octavo  size  and  416 
pages.  Its  chapters,  translated  from  the  Spanish,  are  the 
following:  ‘Sacred  History;’  or,  a short  digest  of  the  im- 
portant events  of  the  Old  and  New  Testament;  ‘Religion,’ 
which  deals  largely  with  the  doctrine  of  the  Catholic 
Church  ; ‘Morality,’  or  Morals  in  Spanish,  which  is  some- 
thing like  our  ‘Ethics,’  but  with  a strong  leaning  towards 
the  Catholic  doctrine;  ‘Politeness,’  or  Courtesy,  rules  for 
social  life;  English  Grammar;  Spanish  Grammar;  Arith- 
metic; Geometry,  Geography;  and  History  of  the  Phil- 
ippines.’ All  these  subjects  arc  included  in  one  book  of 
416  pages,  and  the  greatest  space  is  given  to  the  treat- 
ment of  Sacred  History,  Religion,  and  Morality  and  Cour- 
tesy. You  can  imagine  the  value  of  a course  in  English 
and  Spanish  Grammar,  History,  Geography,  Arithmetic, 
and  Geometry  that  is  comprised  in  less  than  200  pages. 

“The  children  study  six  hours,  and  all  subjects  men- 
tioned, except  English  Grammar,  are  taken  up.  Latin  will 
soon  he  added,  the  professor  tells  me. 

“This  school  corresponds  to  one  of  our  high  schools 
or  preparatory  schools  in  the  States.  The  schools  in  the 
town  that  correspond  to  our  primary  or  grammar  schools 
teach  nothing  hut  a Catholic  Church  catechism,  written 
in  Tagalog.  Hoping  this  will  he  of  use  to  you,  and  as- 
suring you  that  I shall  he  only  too  glad  to  ascertain  any 
other  facts  about  the  school  that  you  may  wish.” 

By  their  fruits  the  Filipino  must  judge  these  rival 
schools.  Their  finished  product  will  he  seeking  posi- 
tions soon  in  competition  with  the  product  of  the  public 
schools.  The  surpassing  efficiency  of  the  latter  will  then 
he  apparent,  and  there  can  he  hut  one  result.  The  rival 
school,  with  its  mediaeval  course  of  study  and  its  utter 
lack  of  discipline,  will  he  forced  to  shut  its  doors. 


MAN II , A T R AI) K-SCH OOL . 


Educating  a Nation. 


205 


(3)  A carefully  planned  attempt  to  gain  control  of 
the  department.  Their  first  move  was  a master-stroke. 
A Catholic  was  made  Commissioner,  and  thus  became 
secretary  of  public  instruction,  as  the  successor  of  the 
outgoing  commissioner-secretary.  The  next  move  was 
to  get  a Catholic  city  superintendent  in  Manila.  Fruits 
of  the  new  policy  are  ripening  before  us.  Catholics  are 
promoted.  A high  percentage  of  new  teachers  coming 
from  the  States  are  Catholics.  Every  few  days  some- 
thing transpires  to  keep  us  fully  aware  that  “Change- 
less Rome”  is  tireless  as  well.  Rome  proposes  to  con- 
trol the  public  school  which  she  can  not  destroy.  With 
her  Jesuitical  methods  and  her  tremendous  political  lev- 
erage in  America,  she  can  do  us  vast  harm.  Every 
move  must  be  watched  by  all  who  want  to  see  the  State 
do  the  work  of  the  State,  and  the  Church  and  home  do 
the  work  that  is  theirs  by  Divine  sanction. 

Rome  hates  the  public  school  with  an  inextinguish- 
able hatred.  The  pope  could  not  even  carry  on  a cor- 
respondence with  Governor  Taft  as  to  the  purchase  of 
friar  lands  without  injecting  a little  of  this  hatred  of  a 
public-school  system  into  his  first  communication.  After 
giving  a wily  answer  to  the  frank  proposals  of  Governor 
Taft  to  buy  all  friar  holdings  at  a fair  price,  Leo  XIII 
wrote : 

“Finally,  the  Holy  See  can  not  abstain  from  asking 
the  American  authorities  suitable  provisions  for  religious 
teaching  in  the  public  schools,  especially  the  primary ; 
and  that  the  choice  of  teachers  be  made  according  to 
equitable  principles,  such  as  do  not  wound  the  rights  and 
feelings  of  a people  entirely  Catholic.” 

In  his  reply  Governor  Taft  said : “My  instructions 

do  not  permit  me  to  discuss  the  subject,  but  I may  prop- 
erly refer  your  eminence  to  section  16  of  the  General 
School  Law  of  the  Philippines.” 


206 


The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 


Cardinal  Gibbons  has  deliberately  opened  a new  war 
on  the  public  school  in  the  United  States.  Bishop  Mul- 
doon,  at  the  head  of  the  Federation  of  Catholic  Socie- 
ties, demands  from  the  government  “a  pro  rata  for  the 
education  of  these  children  of  ours,  among  the  other 
rights  that  belong  to  us.”  The  fight  against  the  Phil- 
ippine public  schools  will  be  largely  carried  on  in  the 
United  States.  It  is  there  that  Commissioners  are  ap- 
pointed. It  is  from  there  that  teachers  come.  It  was 
stated  by  a member  of  a recent  party  of  teachers,  a large 
percentage  of  whom  were  Catholics,  that  he  and  others 
in  the  party  had  entertained  no  thought  of  coming  to 
the  Philippines  until  his  priest  told  him  that  Bishop 

had  been  asked  by  friends  in  the  Philippines 

to  secure  and  send  out  Catholic  teachers  in  large  num- 
bers. It  is  in  the  United  States  that  the  exigencies  of 
politics  tend  to  force  party  leaders  to  make  such  com- 
promises as  will  “hold  the  Catholic  vote  in  line.”  It  is 
there  that  we  need  help. 

There  are  now  723  American  teachers  in  the  service, 
with  fifty  more  about  to  arrive.  These  are  aided  by  3,000 
Filipino  teachers.  There  are  190,000  native  children  in 
regular  attendance  upon  2,000  primary  schools.  The 
Manila  normal  school  has  an  enrollment  of  nearly  400 
selected  native  teachers,  and  is  doing  surprisingly  good 
work.  It  is  enough  to  make  a patriotic  American  feel 
a deeper  and  truer  pride  in  his  citizenship  in  the  Mother 
of  Republics  to  visit  this  institution  with  its  eager,  alert, 
and  well-behaved  students  working  under  Mr.  Beatty, 
and  ten  assistants,  all  of  whom  are  specialists.  Each 
of  the  thirty-five  divisions  has  its  vacation  normal  school, 
in  which  5,596  teachers  and  aspirantes,  or  those  who  as- 
pire to  be  teachers,  were  under  instruction  from  one 
month  to  seven  weeks  in  the  vacation  of  1 902.  The 


MANILA  TRADE-SCHOOL — PLUMBINC 


Educating  a Nation. 


209 


effect  of  these  vacation  normals  was  surprising  and 
gratifying.  The  brightest  minds  are  there.  Keen  com- 
petition in  class  work,  the  inspiration  of  numbers,  the 
widened  horizons,  and,  above  all,  the  new  spirit  they 
absorb  from  their  chief  teachers,  has  sent  them  back  to 
their  pueblos  with  higher  ideals,  and  an  inspiration  to 
achieve  them. 

There  are  thirty-eight  secondary  schools.  These 
have  been  opened  in  advance  of  any  real  need  for  them 
in  the  shape  of  graduates  from  the  primary  schools.  The 
system  appeared  a poor  one  to  the  Filipino.  It  lacked 
completeness.  Because  he  felt  thus,  he  was  not  satisfied 
to  keep  his  child  in  the  lower  grades,  and  sent  him  to 
the  various  colegios,  or  schools  in  Manila.  The  sec- 
ondary schools  met  with  instant  approval.  Although 
but  one  year  in  operation,  they  enroll  6,334  pupils.  The 
drain  of  the  most  promising  pupils  to  Manila  has  about 
stopped.  The  system  seems  to  the  Filipino  to  have  a 
head,  and  he  is  content.  But  the  opening  and  organiz- 
ing of  these  secondary  schools  has  taken  hard  work. 
Some  of  the  principals  should  have  medals  struck  in 
their  honor.  Lethargy,  laziness,  tardiness,  lack  of  sup- 
plies, shortage  of  competent  help,  heat,  and  the  puzzling 
psychology  of  the  Oriental,  always  with  him ! But  they 
have  won,  and  they  will  receive  their  reward.  In  the 
years  to  come  some  of  these  secondary  schools  will  be 
colleges.  The  present  laborers  are  but  trail-blazers  for 
the  oncoming  generations.  Again  I say  that  of  all 
workers  that  I have  known  in  eleven  years  of  tropical 
residence,  the  American  teachers  have  come  most  nearly 
to  success  in  what  Kipling  calls  “hustling  the  East.” 

Already  in  every  town  where  an  American  teacher 
has  been  at  work  more  people  understand  English  than 
speak  or  understand  Spanish.  Within  ten  years  Eng- 
14 


210 


The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 


lisli  will  be  the  language  for  intercourse  between  the 
various  races.  The  first  step  in  adding  fractions  is  to 
find  a common  denominator.  The  sixty  or  seventy 
fractions  of  the  Filipino  people  will  never  be  added  into 
one  total  for  social  or  political  ends  until  a common  lan- 
guage denominator  is  found  in  the  English  speech. 

“English  is  the  lingua  franca  of  the  Far  East.  It  is 
spoken  in  the  ports  from  Hakodate  to  Australia.  It  is  the 
common  language  of  business  intercourse  between  the 
different  nations  from  America  westward  to  the  Levant. 
It  is,  without  rival,  the  most  useful  language  which  a man 
can  know.  . . . To  the  Filipino  the  possession  of 

English  is  the  gateway  into  that  busy  and  fervid  life  of 
commerce,  of  modern  science,  of  diplomacy  and  politics, 
in  which  he  aspires  to  shine.” 

Academic  critics  in  American  sanctums,  manufactur- 
ing their  facts  by  aid  of  strong  imaginations,  pour  out 
scorn  upon  the  attempt  to  ignore  “their  native  language, 
their  literature,  the  thousand-fold  stimuli  of  their  en- 
vironment.” The  bold  fact  is,  that  the  Filipinos  have 
no  literature — none ! Their  environment  has  been  full 
of  “stimuli,”  but  it  worked  the  wrong  way.  Such  criti- 
cisms amuse  those  who  know  the  hard  facts  of  this  un- 
fortunate people,  or  would  amuse  us,  if  we  were  sure 
that  their  heated  rhetoric  and  extemporized  facts  would 
not  deceive  good  men  and  women,  and  alienate  their  sym- 
pathy from  a work  so  sane  and  so  profoundly  necessary 
as  that  of  the  public-school  work  in  these  Islands. 

The  hope  of  the  future  is  the  Filipino  teacher.  If 
lie  can  be  trained  to  become  an  intelligent,  resourceful 
educator,  with  courage  and  wit  to  lead  his  people,  the 
uttermost  hopes  of  those  who  have  this  work  now  on 
their  hands  will  be  attained.  Division  Superintendent 
S.  C.  Newsom,  of  Pangasinan  province,  states  the  facts 


THE  NEW  SLAUGHTER-HOUSE,  MANILA. 


Educating  a Nation. 


213 


as  to  the  Filipino  teachers  about  as  those  who  arc  best 
informed  understand  them.  In  his  report  to  the  general 
superintendent  for  the  current  year  he  says : 

“The  native  teacher  in  the  province  is  a representative 
of  the  better  class  of  Filipinos.  He  is  invariably  well- 
dressed,  courteous,  and  accommodating,  and  has  the  re- 
spect of  the  people.  From  the  American  point  of  view, 
he  is  not,  however,  competent  to  regulate  a school,  nor 
well  qualified  by  nature  to  be  genuinely  educated.  He 
lacks  energy,  and  can  not  successfully  maintain  a daily 
routine  of  work.  He  is  inclined  to  be  slack  in  matters 
of  punctuality,  and  sees  no  special  reason  for  exerting 
himself  to  be  on  time  in  tbe  morning  at  the  opening  of 
the  daily  school  session,  nor  of  maintaining  of  strict  super- 
vision of  the  pupils’  work  when  once  he  has  taken  his 
place  in  the  schoolroom.  To  do  the  same  thing  every  day, 
and  to  try  hard  to  do  it  better  each  successive  day,  is 
something  that  the  Filipino  teacher  has  not  yet  learned 
to  appreciate.  He  is  not  ambitious  to  succeed ; that  is, 
a very  small  success  seems  sufficient  to  satisfy  him,  and 
he  is  unwilling  to  put  himself  to  serious  inconvenience 
in  order  to  improve  his  education  and  make  his  services 
valuable. 

“The  above  statement  will,  as  a rule,  hold  good;  but 
there  are  notable  exceptions,  and  the  number  of  these  has 
been  steadily  increasing  during  the  three  years  of  Amer- 
ican schools.  The  example  set  by  a good  American 
teacher  in  controlling  and  teaching  a school  has  taught 
the  Filipino  more  than  his  daily  lesson  in  English  and 
arithmetic.  The  object-lesson  thus  furnished  is  being 
learned  slowly,  but  without  doubt  surely.  The  native 
teacher  has  gained  something  of  perspective,  and,  in  a de- 
gree, has  succeeded  in  being  able  to  think  more  than  one 
thing  at  a time.  This  part  of  his  education,  which  has 
come  seemingly  without  volition  and  unconsciously,  is 
the  most  valuable  thing  the  American  schools  have  given 
him.  There  was  a time  when  he  thought  it  not  inappro- 
priate to  take  his  seat  during  the  entire  session,  to  ignore 
pupils  not  reciting,  to  smoke  cigarettes  before  the  class 


214  The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 

during  school  hours,  to  pay  no  attention  whatever  to 
the  roll-call,  and,  finally,  to  pass  unnoticed  the  entire  sub- 
ject of  schoolroom  decorum  and  discipline. 

“From  the  purely  academic  point  of  view,  it  will  be 
some  years  before  the  provincial  teacher  can  achieve  much. 
The  Filipino  who  has  during  the  last  three  years  reached 
the  age  of  twenty-five,  passed  the  formative  period  of  his 
life  during  a time  of  turmoil.  He  has  not  had  a fair 
chance,  and  it  is  perhaps  true  that  he  will  never  readjust 
himself  completely  to  the  new  regime.  There  are  native 
teachers  in  this  division  to  whom  this  does  not  apply — 
teachers  who  have  fallen  quickly  and  easily  into  the  rou- 
tine of  the  present  system  of  schools,  and  who  are  reliable, 
energetic,  and  intelligent,  but  their  number  is  small.  An 
extended  period  of  education  is  yet  necessary,  if  the  native 
teaching  force  is  ever  to  be  brought  to  that  stage  of  effi- 
ciency which  will  enable  them  to  take  the  place  of  the 
American  teachers.  This  is  true  from  every  point  of  view, 
whether  we  consider  scholarship,  power  to  assume  respon- 
sibility, practical  knowledge  of  schoolroom  discipline, 
courage  to  face  opposition,  or  ability  to  take  the  initiative 
in  matters  connected  with  the  improvement  of  the 
schools.” 

Act  No.  854  provides  for  sending  a number  of  stu- 
dents to  America  each  year  for  a four  years’  course  of 
study  in  some  American  institution.  The  Bill  carries 
an  appropriation  of  $72,000.  The  first  party  was  sent 
in  October,  and  is  now  in  the  United  States.  “Ap- 
pointees must  be  natives  of  the  Philippine  Islands,  not 
less  than  sixteen  nor  more  than  twenty-one  years  of 
age.”  After  severe  physical  examinations,  the  student 
must  take  the  oath  of  allegiance  to  the  government  of 
the  United  States,  and  sign  an  agreement  to  attend  to 
such  institution  as  may  be  designated  by  the  civil  gov- 
ernor for  four  years,  obeying  its  rules  and  faithfully  pur- 
suing its  course  of  study,  unless  formally  released  by 
the  civil  governor.  He  further  promises  to  return  to 


Educating  a Nation. 


215 


the  Philippines,  take  the  civil  service  examination,  and 
serve  the  State  at  a nominal  wage  as  many  years  as  the 
State  supported  him. 

In  this  way  it  is  hoped  to  secure  a nucleus  of  young 
men  who  thoroughly  understand  English,  and  who  have 
come  to  feel  the  spirit  of  the  modern  world.  1 am  not 
sanguine  of  good  results.  It  is  part  of  a forcing-house 
method.  If  it  works  well,  it  will  be  a delightful  sur- 
prise to  many.  The  danger  is,  that  these  young  men 
will  return  so  far  removed  from  their  own  people  in  their 
ways  of  thinking  as  to  be  aliens.  It  is  an  effort  made 
with  tbe  purest  of  motives.  If  it  grows  a crop  of  agita- 
tors, they  will  be  ingrates. 

We  Americans  are  an  impatient  people.  But  in  this 
undertaking  of  educating  a nation  we  must  count  time 
by  decades  and  generations,  rather  than  bv  years.  Its 
very  vastness  should  give  11s  courage  to  be  patient. 


COMPULSORY  EDUCATION. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 


Further  Improvements. 

Spain  worked  the  plantation  theory  of  colonial  gov- 
ernment. That  theory  left  little  scope  for  programs  of 
improvement.  For  three  centuries  she  had  her  own  un- 
hindered way  in  an  Archipelago  of  unusual  beauty  and 
almost  unequaled  fertility ; and  at  the  end  of  that  period 
an  inadequate  school  system,  and  that  poorly  and  ineffi- 
ciently worked,  waterworks  in  the  capital  city  (where 
Spaniards  chiefly  lived),  and  one  short  railway  of  less 
than  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles,  constituted  the  sum 
total  of  all  that  might  by  any  kind  of  courtesy  be  called 
large  improvements  of  a public  character. 

Aside  from  the  essentially  vicious  theory  of  colonial 
government  which  hampered  all  attempts  to  benefit  the 
colony,  the  almost  universal  official  corruption  which 
reigned  in  all  departments  was  the  most  powerful  cause 
contributing  to  the  policy  of  neglect.  Public  funds  went 
to  enrich  greedy  public  officials,  rather  than  to  improve 
harbors,  build  schoolhouses,  make  roads,  and  improve  the 
sanitation  of  pest-ridden  cities.  A governor-general  who 
did  not  “clean  up”  at  least  a quarter  of  a million  dollars 
in  a three  or  five  year  incumbency  of  the  post  was  con- 
sidered honest  and  public-spirited.  A few,  like  General 
Despujol,  were  incorruptible.  Rut  Despujol  incurred 
friar  hatred  for  his  unbending  uprightness,  and  was  dis- 
missed by  the  influence  of  friar  officials  after  eighteen 

216 


Further  Im provkments. 


217 


years  of  the  most  honest  and  sympathetic  government  the 
Filipinos  had  known  for  two  centuries. 

Corruption,  which  managed  to  flourish  in  Manila  with 
increasing  difficulty,  fattened  unhindered  in  remote  prov- 
inces. Taxes  could  be  paid  in  crops.  Officials  were  per- 
mitted to  trade  openly  until  1844.  They  would  take  rice 
or  other  crops  at  their  own  price,  and  sell  it  at  current 
rates,  pocketing  often  from  fifty  to  five  hundred  per  cent 
on  the  transaction.  The  rice  was  covered  into  the  treasury 
at  the  scandalously  low  rate  which  the  oppressed  culti- 
vator was  bullied  into  accepting  on  pain  of  false  arrest 
or  deportation  on  charges  concocted  by  the  official  who 
was  also  the  judge.  Since  the  Royal  Decree  of  1844  for- 
bidding trading  on  the  part  of  provincial  officials,  it  has 
gone  on  less  openly,  and  some  of  its  worst  features  have 
been  eliminated ; but  it  has  always  been  possible  to  set  up 
a dummy  man  to  act  for  the  official,  and  attain  much  the 
same  ends  through  more  circuitous  channels.  If  Manila 
officials  became  troublesome  and  threatened  exposure, 
the  alcalde  well  knew  the  one  means  of  satisfying  the  “lid- 
less watcher  of  the  public  weal.”  A small  percentage  of 
his  ill-gotten  gains  would  make  his  way  smooth  again 
until  another  inspection  came  due.  Meantime  he  would 
give  the  screws  another  twist,  and  be  ready.  Funds  raised 
for  road-building,  for  education,  for  construction  of 
bridges  over  streams  which  kept  the  products  of  fertile 
provinces  from  markets,  and  for  needed  sanitation  in  cen- 
ters of  population  ravaged  from  time  to  time  by  awful 
epidemics  of  cholera  or  smallpox,  were  stolen  under  one 
pretext  or  another,  until  ladronism  or  highway  robbery 
as  a profession  grew  up  among  the  people  as  their  only 
defense  against  official  exactions  and  spoliation.  All  im- 
provements were  delayed,  and  people  trailed  on  foot  from 
town  to  town  over  mud-tracks  called  roads,  and  wretched 


218  The  Philippines  and-the  Far  East. 

bamboo  ferries  poled  by  hand  across  swift  streams  took 
the  place  of  bridges  for  which  the  people  had  paid  taxes 
twice  and  thrice  over,  while  the  education  of  their  chil- 
dren was  neglected.  In  Batangas  province  $300,000  were 
gathered  in  direct  taxes  for  “urgent  local  necessities." 
When  it  was  wanted  in  the  terrible  cholera  scourge  of 
1887  it  had  been  swallowed  up,  and  not  a stiver  of  it  could 
be  had  to  pay  doctors,  or  purchase  medicines  or  disin- 
fectants, or  establish  the  expensive  quarantine  barriers 
demanded  if  the  scourge  was  to  be  stayed.  People  who 
saw  their  loved  ones  die,  helpless  to  lift  a finger  in  their 
aid.  were  not  kindly  disposed  to  a government  which  per- 
mitted such  wholesale  speculations  at  the  price  of  blood. 
Correction  has  begun.  What  are  some  of  the  projected, 
or  partially  completed,  proposals  of  the  government  in 
the  direction  of  further  bettering  conditions  for  the  Philip- 
pine people? 

These  plans,  running  away  into  the  millions  of  dollars 
in  their  total  expense,  can  be  roughly  classed  under  three 
main  heads, — Educational,  Agricultural,  and  Engineer- 
ing. This  classification  misses  some  of  the  plans  entirely. 
But  that  is  inevitable  within  the  limits  set  for  the  theme. 
The  various  departments  overlap  somewhat,  but  that  also 
is  unavoidable.  Educationally  there  are  still  to  be  firmly 
established  or  developed  more  fully  a university  at  Manila, 
normal  and  trade  schools. 

In  the  nature  of  the  case  the  normal  school  is  to  re- 
ceive the  most  careful  attention.  To  that  source  the  gov- 
ernment must  look  for  its  teachers  in  the  future.  The 
American  teacher  must  decrease  while  the  Filipino  must 
increase.  There  are  manifold  difficulties  in  the  way  of 
making  an  effective  teaching  staff  from  material  which 
has  never  known  the  value  of  time,  and  never  had  even 
the  rudiments  of  a sound  education  until  within  three 


Further  I m prove ments. 


219 


years.  The  normal  weeds  out  the  incorrigibly  lazy  and 
the  hopelessly  inefficient  before  their  salary  begins.  It 
seizes  upon  the  alert  and  promising,  and  inspires  them 
to  be  not  only  effective  as  instructors,  but  centers  of  in- 
spiration in  the  pueblos  and  barrios  where  they  must  live 
and  work.  I have  never  let  a pessimist  as  to  the  outlook 
for  American  rule  in  these  Islands  get  out  of  my  hands 
until  he  had  seen  the  Manila  normal  school.  A sight  of 
these  bright  faces,  and  a careful  inspection  of  the  work 
that  is  being  done  for  them,  and  that  will  be  done  for  those 
that  come  after  them,  bv  graduates  in  pedagogy  from  our 
best  universities,  has  done  more  to  chase  away  despond- 
ency than  any  amount  of  argument.  There  are  the  trade 
schools,  also,  teaching  carpentry,  plumbing,  telegraphy, 
mechanical  drawing,  and  all  sorts  of  useful  trades, — all 
these  are  in  the  line  of  unfulfilled  improvements  being  car- 
ried on  by  the  government,  the  result  of  which  can  not  but 
be  helpful  in  developing  the  people,  which  is  the  first  and 
fundamental  need  in  improving  the  conditions  of  any 
country. 

Such  normals  are  to  be  established  at  several  centers, 
and  fully  equipped  for  doing  the  best  possible  work.  In- 
deed, the  only  fear  that  some  of  us  have  is  that  criticism 
by  Dickens  of  Dr.  Blimber’s  school  may  apply  here ; they 
may  overdo  the  application  of  highly-developed  systems 
of  instruction  and  highly-elaborated  courses  of  study  to 
the  unformed  minds  of  a people  who  have  lived  in  the 
educational  atmosphere  of  the  Middle  Ages  until  within 
three  years.  Dickens  declared  that  it  was  the  aim  of  the 
impetuous  Dr.  Blimber  to  “produce  intellectual  green  peas 
and  asparagus  at  Christmas,”  and  that  in  the  case  of  an 
unfortunate  dullard,  named  by  the  boys  Toots,  they  over- 
did this  forcing-house  method ; “for  when  poor  Toots 
began  having  whiskers  he  left  off  having  brains.”  It  is 


220  The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 

possibly  a mistake  to  work  the  machinery  of  education 
at  such  high  speed  at  the  very  first. 

Next  will  come  the  establishment  of  a university. 
Naturally  it  was  the  last  part  of  the  educational  machine 
that  needed  to  be  set  up.  All  school  work  is  done  in  Eng- 
lish. Letters  constantly  reach  me  asking  how  long  it 
takes  to  learn  enough  Spanish  to  begin  teaching  in  the 
public  schools  of  the  Philippines.  It  seems  incredible 
that  any  one  with  sufficient  intelligence  to  aspire  to  such 
a position  does  not  yet  know  that  all  text-books,  all  teach- 
ing, and  all  conversation  permitted  in  the  school  premises 
in  the  Philippines  are  in  English,  the  conquering  tongue 
of  the  world.  All  students  were  compelled  to  begin  at 
the  alphabet  and  work  toward  higher  things.  The  schools 
have  been  opened  but  three  years.  It  will  be  three  or  four 
years  yet  before  any  considerable  number  of  these  stu- 
dents are  prepared  for  English  courses  in  a university. 
By  that  time  it  is  the  intention  of  the  government  to  have 
such  an  institution  established.  The  funds  for  its  estab- 
lishment have  not  yet  been  allotted;  but  it  is  understood 
that  a good  portion  of  the  $3,000,000  granted  by  Congress 
to  relieve  conditions  in  the  Archipelago  will  be  available 
for  such  a purpose,  when  the  loans  to  provinces  in  which 
the  carabao  died  of  the  rinderpest,  or  where  locusts  ate 
every  green  thing  after  war  had  left  farms  and  villages 
desolate,  have  been  repaid.  In  any  case,  ample  provision 
will  be  made,  and  the  university  of  Manila  will  be  grind- 
ing out  degrees  within  a decade  at  the  latest. 

It  is  hoped  that  the  lavish  policy  of  the  government 
with  regard  to  primary  education  will  not  be  followed  in 
its  university  program.  It  may  be  all  very  well  to  provide 
the  primary  schools  with  free  text-books,  free  pencils, 
paper,  slates,  sponges,  erasers,  pointers,  and  all  of  the  best 
quality  that  money  can  buy,  but  a university  education  is 


THE  NEW  SANTA  CRUZ  BRIDGE,  MANILA,  DECORATED  FOR  THE  FOURTH  OF  JULY,  1903. 


F URTHKR  I M PROVEM  I) NTS. 


223 


another  thing.  Unless  the  government  desires  to  raise 
up  a swarm  of  agitators  ready  to  lift  the  hand  against  the 
government  which  has  carried  them  up  to  the  point  of 
preparedness  for  government  service  at  high  salaries,  un- 
less that  service  with  its  attendant  salary  is  immediately 
forthcoming,  it  will  do  well  to  hedge  the  entrance  to  its 
highest  temple  of  knowledge  with  restrictions  of  kinds 
that  will  not  shut  out  the  worthy  student  of  limited  means, 
but  will  shut  out  the  mere  idler.  The  experience  of  free 
university  education  in  British  India  is  to  the  point. 

Improvements  which  naturally  fall  within  the  province 
of  the  civil  engineer  are  of  three  kinds, — harbor,  transpor- 
tation, and  sanitation. 

Spain  had  adopted  a good  plan  of  harbor  improvement 
for  Manila.  She  had  made  a few  feeble  preparations  to 
begin  to  accomplish  the  improvement.  But  again  pecu- 
lations and  delays,  and  more  peculations  and  more  delays, 
so  that,  beyond  the  partial  construction  of  one  or  two 
heavy  breakwaters  needed  and  the  manufacture  of  a large 
number  of  immense  cubes  of  artificial  stone,  nothing  had 
been  done.  The  harbor  at  Manila  is  one  that  demands 
artificial  docks  and  protected  anchorage.  Manila  Bay  is 
more  than  thirty  miles  long  and  twenty-two  miles  wide. 
It  is  shallow.  Near  the  long,  curving,  sandy  beach  upon 
which  Manila  is  built  it  becomes  so  shallow  that  vessels 
drawing  fifteen  feet  of  water  can  not  pass  the  bar  and 
enter  the  Pasig  River,  while  vessels  of  deeper  draught 
are  compelled  to  anchor  in  the  open,  exposed  to  great  peril 
during  typhoons.  Indeed,  the  anchorage  anywhere  on  the 
Manila  side  of  the  bay  is  little,  if  any,  better  than  at  any 
point  along  the  coast  outside  the  bay. 

This  puts  shipping  to  a double  inconvenience.  It  com- 
pels anchorage  in  an  unprotected  place.  It  also  compels 
the  use  of  lighters  for  loading  and  unloading  all  shipments, 


224  The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 

and  of  launches  for  taking  on  and  discharging  all  pas- 
sengers. Added  to  the  great  increase  of  expense  entailed 
by  this  compulsory  rehandling  of  the  freight,  all  of  which 
must  come  out  of  the  purchaser  in  the  long  run,  is  the 
added  breakage  risk,  and,  almost  as  bad  as  all  else,  the 
vexatious  delays,  while  wages,  port  dues,  and  other 
charges  eat  great  holes  in  the  profits  of  ship-owners.  If 
Manila  is  ever  to  become  the  port  which  its  geographical 
situation  makes  it  possible  for  her  to  become,  these  hin- 
drances must  be  removed.  There  must  be  safe  anchorage. 
There  must  be  the  possibility  of  landing  freight  and  pas- 
sengers directly  upon  solid  wharves  in  easy  communication 
with  hotels  and  warehouses.  Until  this  is  done,  Manila 
will  be  shunned  by  shippers,  or  buyers  and  consumers  of 
all  kinds  will  be  taxed  as  much  for  the  expense  of  landing 
the  machinery  or  foodstuffs  or  clothing  which  they  need 
as  is  needed  to  pay  the  long  ocean  haul  from  America  or 
Europe,  while  the  exporter  will  be  under  a prohibitive 
handicap  in  competition  with  exporters  of  hemp  and  sugar 
and  other  commodities  who  can  put  their  bales  of  mer- 
chandise from  dock  to  hold  at  one  handling. 

The  first  large  engineering  improvement  undertaken 
by  the  Commission,  and  now  in  process  of  construction, 
is  the  Manila  harbor  improvements.  These  consist  of 
building  three  breakwaters,  one  of  them  being  the  pro- 
jection of  that  one  which  Spain  began.  It  is  more  than  a 
mile  long,  and  runs  out  into  water  ten  fathoms  deep.  That 
is  the  outside  breakwater,  almost  parallel  to  the  shore- 
line, and  it  is  raised  to  a sufficient  height  effectually  to 
break  the  force  of  waves  hurled  shoreward  by  the  sixty- 
mile-an-hour  typhoons  which  sweep  the  bay  three  or  four 
times  each  season.  Nearly  a mile  back  of  that,  at  the 
farthest  point,  is  the  inner  breakwater — or  pier,  rather — 
while  at  practically  right  angles  with  the  latter,  and  start- 


F URTHER  I M PROVEN!  ENTS. 


225 


ing  from  the  shore,  runs  a projecting  wall  of  stone, 
mounted  on  wide,  submarine  foundation  of  bowlders 
dropped  into  place  from  huge  scows.  At  the  mouth  of 
this  harbor  there  will  be  an  entrance  a hundred  yards  or 
more  across,  thoroughly  protected  from  even  the  swell  of 
a heavy  storm  by  the  angle  at  which  it  opens  to  the  bay. 
Between  these  long  lines  of  breakwater  the  contract  calls 
for  dredging  to  a uniform  depth  of  thirty  feet.  By  hy- 
draulic pressure  the  sludge  and  sand  so  raised  is  forced 
over  behind  the  inner  wall,  or  what  will  be  the  outer  line 
of  solid  earth  and  cement,  when  the  whole  vast  scheme  is 
completed.  Between  this  long  wall  and  the  shore  and  the 
transverse  breakwater  at  the  south  end,  one  hundred  and 
fifty  acres  of  sea  is  to  be  filled  and  used  for  piers,  ware- 
houses, tracks  on  which  freight  can  be  whirled  away  to 
the  city,  or  carried  from  the  city  to  the  ship’s  side.  Al- 
ready this  great  work  has  so  far  progressed  that  nearly  all 
the  work  of  reclaiming  the  land  inshore  has  been  accom- 
plished. Where  waves  rolled  ten  feet  high,  and  broke  in 
foam  and  spray  over  the  beautiful  sea-drive  known  in 
Manila  as  The  Malecon,  during  any  breezy  day  a couple 
of  years  ago,  there  is  now  a sea  of  black  ooze  and  sand, 
and  soon  there  will  be  all  the  furnishings  of  a large  and 
well-furnished  modern  dock,  at  the  stone  sides  of  which 
great  ships  can  tie  up,  while  passengers  walk  down  gang- 
planks to  terra  firma,  instead  of  down  swaying  ship-lad- 
ders to  bouncing  launches  below ; and  freight  can  be 
swung  from  their  cavernous  holds  by  giant  traveling 
cranes,  and  laid  on  the  stone  docks  as  easily  as  a mother 
lifts  her  little  one  from  its  crib. 

This  really  immense  project  will  cost  $4,500,000,  and 
four  years  are  required  for  its  completion.  The  Atlantic, 
Gulf  and  Pacific  Company  has  the  contract,  and,  from  all 
evidence  procurable  by  personal  inspection  and  from  offi- 
15 


226  The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 

cials,  they  are  performing  their  obligations  to  the  letter. 
They  bought  their  own  quarries,  built  their  own  ships  and 
barges  for  the  work,  and  have  at  work  one  of  the  huge 
modern  marvels  in  the  way  of  a dredger.  It  growls  away 
at  its  dirty  task  night  and  day,  manufacturing  its  own 
electricity  for  light,  and  altogether  complete  in  itself  to 
dig  up  the  bottom  of  old  ocean  and  toss  it  whither  its 
directors  will.  Not  San  Francisco  nor  Vancouver  will 
be  better  equipped  for  all  the  work  of  a large  shipping 
port  than  Manila  when  these  docks  are  completed.  The 
resultant  lessening  of  charges,  and  lowering  of  prices  to 
consumers  in  the  Islands  will  bring  into  the  coffers  of  the 
custom-house  alone  such  an  increase  from  increased  traffic 
as  will  more  than  repay  all  the  expense  incurred.  A mod- 
ern electric  street-car  system  with  seventy  miles  of  track 
is  now  being  installed  in  Manila.  The  franchise  is  owned 
by  an  American  company.  It  is  to  be  in  operation  within 
a year.  It  is  to  have  thirty-six  miles  of  track,  and  will 
carry  passengers  at  six  cents  for  first-class,  and  five  cents 
for  second-class  accommodations. 

Next  in  importance  from  an  engineering  standpoint  is 
the  problem  of  transportation  within  the  Islands  them- 
selves. Spain  made  no  adequate  provision  to  meet  this 
need.  The  mere  building  of  roads  upon  which  all  good 
governments  spend  millions  of  money  without  hesitation 
was  almost  entirely  neglected.  Outside  of  Manila  I have 
found  two  hits  of  ordinary  roads,  which  were  built  before 
the  American  occupation,  which  could  be  called  passable 
in  good  weather.  One  of  those  was  built  by  the  Insurrccto 
government,  and  the  other,  and  a far  poorer  road,  was 
built  by  Spain  for  transporting  her  troops.  There  are, 
as  a rule,  no  roads  outside  of  the  towns.  At  the  municipal 
limits  it  is  the  rule  to  have  the  streets  come  abruptly  to 
an  end,  and  paths  over  ridges  between  ricefields  offer  the 


OUR  ONLY  RAILWAY 


F URT1IKR  I M PROVEN! ENTS. 


229 


only  means  of  proceeding  farther  into  the  country.  Rail- 
roads are  a necessity,  but  common  wagon-roads  are  a 
more  urgent  need.  Without  them  it  is  practically  impos- 
sible to  suppress  the  ladronism  or  highway  robbery  that 
persists  in  remote  localities.  Until  it  is  easily  possible  to 
reach  the  interior  of  the  provinces  quickly  over  good 
roads,  it  will  be  impossible  to  restore  a settled  condition 
of  public  order.  Until  roads  provided  over  which  crops 
raised  in  the  fertile  interior  districts  can  be  hauled  to 
market,  those  districts  will  always  be  benighted  and  thrift- 
less. 

There  are  no  roads  at  all  on  the  island  of  Samar,  a 
section  capable  of  producing  many  million  dollars’  worth 
of  hemp,  if  it  could  be  transported  to  market  other  than  on 
the  heads  of  native  packers.  All  available  labor  in  the 
Islands  could  not  carry  the  hemp  to  market  in  this  way 
which  Samar  alone  is  capable  of  producing.  This  is  the 
foolish  way  in  which  three-fourths  of  the  labor  of  the 
Philippines  is  being  employed  to-day.  When  rice  can  be 
laid  down  at  a railway  station  after  a few  hours  easy  haul 
from  the  door  of  the  farmer,  prices  will  come  down,  and 
the  standards  of  comfortable  living  will  go  up.  The  man 
who  now  buys  little  will  not  only  be  able  to  buy  more 
largely,  but  will  want  more  of  almost  everything  that 
civilization  has  to  offer  him  from  foodstuffs  and  clothing 
to  pianos  and  periodicals.  There  can  not  be  that  whole- 
some ferment  of  public  thinking  which  results  in  that 
mysterious  and  imperious  thing  we  call  public  opinion 
until  all  parts  of  the  Islands  are  put  into  communication 
with  the  outside  world. 

Hitherto  the  Filipino  has  had  barriers  built  about  him 
of  all  conceivable  sorts.  Language  differences  have  shut 
him  away  from  his  fellow  of  the  next  barrio.  Differences 
of  education  have  shut  the  tao  away  from  the  aristocrat 


230  The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 

of  blood  or  money.  And,  worst  of  all,  it  has  been  impos- 
sible to  mix  with  people  of  a few  miles  away  to  get  that 
widening  of  mental  horizons  without  which  a people  soon 
become  petty  and  mentally  impoverished.  Good  roads 
from  everywhere  to  everywhere  else  will  bring  this  state 
of  isolation  to  an  end  and  make  it  possible  to  use  the 
lingua  franca  which  the  schools  are  giving  the  rising  gen- 
eration in  spreading  common  knowledge  of  matters  in 
which  all  who  love  their  fatherland  are  interested.  Com- 
merce, good  government,  education,  and  religion  itself, 
await  the  provincial  supervisor  with  his  roads  and  bridges. 
When  he  had  done  his  work,  the  dark  places  will  be  lighted 
up  and  a new  era  for  the  whole  Archipelago  be  opened. 

The  government  has  undertaken  to  meet  this  need  as 
rapidly  as  the  revenues  of  the  provinces  would  permit. 
The  prostration  of  industry  following  a condition  of  war; 
the  death  of  seventy  per  cent  of  work  cattle  with  the  rin- 
derpest ; plagues  of  locusts,  leaving  a wake  of  desolation 
behind  them  in  province  after  province ; a scourge  of 
cholera,  which  has  swept  thousands  of  people  and  kept 
other  thousands  from  productive  industries ; and  a paraly- 
sis of  business  due  to  the  change  from  a silver  to  a gold 
basis, — these  causes,  combined  with  a natural  lack  of  in- 
dustry which  is  characteristic  of  all  tropical  lands,  have 
kept  down  the  natural  revenues  of  the  provincial  govern- 
ments, leaving  hut  small  amounts  available  for  diking, 
draining,  and  bridging  public  roads.  But  the  plans  al- 
ready outlined  by  the  consulting  engineer  to  the  Civil 
Commission  call  for  several  hundred  miles  of  most 
urgently-needed  “trunk”  roads,  and  all  these  will  soon  be 
in  process  of  construction,  while  some  of  them  are  now 
built.  It  is  almost  impossible  to  secure  necessary  labor. 
The  Filipino  agriculturist  will  not  labor  on  public  works 
for  wages.  In  a sullen  fashion  he  may  comply  with  the 


Further  Improvements. 


231 


orders  of  his  presidcnte  or  other  superior  officer,  and  put 
in  time  for  a few  days.  But  he  lifts  his  pick  as  few  times 
an  hour  as  possible.  He  sits  down  and  lights  his  cigarette 
every  few  minutes.  He  keeps  a wary  eye  on  the  boss, 
and  avails  himself  of  every  possible  excuse  to  stay  away 


emharrassment  at  a ferry. 

altogether.  The  mortality  among  his  relatives  becomes 
something  awful  to  contemplate ! It  even  goes  so  far  that 
he  sometimes  loses  the  same  relative  twice  or  three  times 
within  a comparatively  brief  period.  Altogether  the  Fili- 
pino as  a day  laborer  is  a failure.  His  unsympathetic 
critics  say  he  will  not  work.  Certain  it  is  that  his  poky 


232  The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 

way  of  working  is  in  sharp  contrast  with  the  almost  ter- 
rific activity  of  the  most  energetic  nation  that  has  yet  been 
bred.  But  he  will  work.  On  his  own  patch  of  rice-land, 
or  in  his  own  fishing  business,  he  works  as  much  as  many 
farmers  in  the  United  States  in  the  course  of  twelve 
months.  He  works  in  the  cool  of  the  earlv  morning,  and 
late  evening.  He  sleeps  in  the  middle  of  the  day  in  a 
way  to  make  a nervous  American  irritable : but  his  two 
or  three  yearly  crops  are  put  in  with  much  care,  culti- 
vated in  a fairly  creditable  fashion,  and  harvested  and 
threshed  by  hand.  The  government  has  passed  the  Land 
Act.  This  is,  in  fact,  a Homestead  Law.  and  it  makes  the 
one  provision  which  all  agricultural  Filipinos  most  de- 
sire,— the  provision  whereby  each  family  can  have  its  own 
forty  acres,  and  cultivate  it  as  they  please  and  when  they 
please.  But  it  is  the  consensus  of  opinion  among  those 
most  familiar  with  all  the  conditions  that  it  will  be  neces- 
sary to  import  the  day  labor  required  for  carrying  on  these 
large  engineering  schemes.  Xo  one  can  doubt  this  who  is 
sufficiently  familiar  with  the  real  Filipino  to  give  his  opin- 
ion any  weight. 

With  the  building  of  these  roads  will  come  instruction 
in  the  use  of  a better  class  of  tools  for  agricultural  labor 
than  those  with  which  the  people  have  been  familiar. 
That  will  act  and  react.  It  will  enable  them  to  cultivate 
more  soil  with  the  same  labor,  and  do  it  better,  and  will 
make  it  possible  for  them,  out  of  the  increased  profits  of 
cultivation,  to  get  more  tools  and  more  supplies.  It  will 
be  a kind  of  trade  school  carried  on  before  the  eyes  of  the 
man  most  in  need  of  the  tuition.  Very  much  is  hoped  for 
from  this  indirect  benefit. 

Railroads  are  sorely  needed.  Though  the  largest 
islands  are  comparatively  small,  they  are  thickly  popu- 
lated in  parts,  and  the  crops  that  are  raised  are  nearly  all 


F URTH ER  I M PROVEM  ENTS. 


233 


such  as  require  heavy  hauling.  Further,  the  people  love 
to  travel,  and  spend  their  money  freely  for  this  form  of 
diversion  where  it  has  become  possible  for  them  to  do  so. 
The  increased  acreage  of  land  under  profitable  tillage 
along  the  line  of  the  only  railway  yet  built  has  been  more 
than  one  hundred  per  cent.  It  would  have  been  easily 
twice  that  amount  if  there  had  been  good  roads  from  the 
interior  to  this  railway  over  which  the  native  cultivator 
could  have  brought  his  crop  to  market.  Careful  surveys 
have  been  made  of  at  least  two  routes  in  Luzon  which  are 
needed  at  once.  One  of  these  would  run  north  to  the  ex- 
tremity of  the  island,  one  branch  following  the  coast  line, 
the  other  tapping  the  rich  valley  of  the  Cagayan  River 
with  its  productive  fields  of  tobacco  and  rice.  This  line 
would  open  up  the  populous  Ilocano  provinces  along  the 
west  coast.  It  would  involve  few  engineering  difficulties 
other  than  that  involved  in  the  frequent  bridging  required. 
The  plain  is  a coastal  one,  and  is  traversed  by  many 
streams  making  down  to  the  sea  from  the  cordillera  run- 
ning north  through  the  heart  of  the  islands.  In  general 
it  is  quite  level,  and  the  line  would  certainly  pay  from  the 
month  it  was  thrown  open  to  traffic.  The  coast  is  devoid 
of  good  harbors,  and  for  weeks  together  many  of  the  large 
cities  are  completely  shut  off  from  communication  with 
the  outside  world  by  the  heavy  seas  which  make  it  impos- 
sible for  coasting  vessels  to  land  with  mail  and  supplies. 
A railway  with  daily  trains  would  be  a civilizing  agency 
of  the  first  importance,  as  well  as  a guarantee  of  the  im- 
mediate development  of  agricultural  and  mineral  possi- 
bilities. 

Another  line  would  run  south  from  Manila,  and  con- 
nect with  some  of  the  larger  cities  and  more  populous  dis- 
tricts of  the  fertile  provinces  of  Laguna,  Batangas,  Cavite, 
and  the  Camarines,  and  perhaps  Albav  and  Sorsogon. 


234  The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 


Greater  engineering  difficulties  would  be  found  in  build- 
ing this  line,  but  nothing  at  all  insuperable,  and  it  would 
be  a paying  investment  almost  from  the  start.  In  Negros 
and  Panay  it  is  also  certain  that  railways  would  be  profit- 
able, and  that  they  will  probably  come  in  a few  years’ 
time.  From  the  best  information  obtainable,  some  thirty- 
five  million  dollars  gold  would  be  required  to  build  a 
trunk-line  of  railway  and  feeders  through  the  island  of 
Luzon. 

It  is  not  clear  to  the  officials  whether  or  how  far  they 
should  build  and  operate  these  lines  of  railway.  It  is  the 
judgment  of  those  who  have  had  the  best  opportunities  to 
judge,  however,  that  the  government  would  better  leave 
railway  building  to  private  companies.  Temptations  to 
peculation  of  public  funds  are  always  strong ; but  here,  so 
many  thousands  of  miles  from  the  homeland,  and  often  so 
remote  from  the  possibilities  of  close  inspection,  those  temp- 
tations are  doubly  strong,  and  government  would  better 
let  private  companies  carry  on  that  form  of  business.  The 
government  is  now  engaged  in  building  one  public  road — 
the  one  leading  from  the  terminus  of  the  present  railway 
to  Baguio,  the  newly-chosen  summer  capital  in  the  moun- 
tains of  Benguet — and  its  experience  in  sinking  money 
in  useless  experiments  there,  and  some  swindles  that  have 
come  to  light  or  should  do  so  soon,  tend  to  convince  many 
that  it  will  be  best  to  have  railway  building  and  operating 
in  the  Philippines  come  under  the  control  of  companies 
who  have  their  profits  sufficiently  at  stake  to  exercise  rigid 
supervision  over  expenses  of  construction  and  operation. 

In  the  wav  of  sanitation,  the  plans  of  the  government 
are  comprehensive.  They  include  the  installation  of  a 
complete  modern  sewer  system  in  Manila  at  the  earliest 
possible  hour.  Plans  are  already  chosen,  and  work  will 
commence  within  a few  months.  It  will  cost  in  the  neigh- 


A PHILIPPINE  FOOT-BRIDGE. 


235 


F URTHKR  1 M I’ROVKM  KNTS. 


237 


borhood  of  $5,000,000,  and  require  not  less  than  four  years 
for  its  completion,  and  more  likely  five.  When  it  is  in 
working  order,  the  death-rate  of  Manila  will  be  lower 
than  that  of  New  York  or  Chicago,  and  Manila  will  be- 
come the  most  popular  health  resort  in  Asia,  as  it  has  a 
climate  equal  to  anything  known  in  the  world  during  the 
months  from  November  to  April.  Already  the  sanitary 
results  attained  are  most  gratifying. 

“The  death  rate  in  Manila  has  been  cut  in  two  since 
the  Americans  first  occupied  the  city,  and  almost  in  two 
again.  In  every  tropical  community  of  that  kind  there 
is  danger  of  recurrent  epidemics  of  cholera  and  bubonic 
plague ; but  these  diseases,  when  they  have  occurred, 
have  been  kept  down  wonderfully  well.  Last  year  during 
the  cholera  epidemic,  the  death  rate  from  cholera  in  Ma- 
nila was  no  larger  than  the  death  rate  from  tuberculosis 
and  endemic  disease  in  all  cities.  The  Health  Board  suc- 
ceeded in  keeping  cholera  well  confined,  and  prevented  its 
affecting  the  water  supply  of  the  city.  Had  it  reached 
the  water  supply,  one-third  of  the  inhabitants  would 
probably  have  been  stricken,  and  that  would  have  meant 
the  death  of  one  hundred  thousand  persons.”" 

The  sanitation  of  provincial  cities  by  means  of  water 
systems  and  sewers,  where  possible,  is  also  definitely  pro- 
vided for.  A school  for  presidents  of  Provincial  Health 
Boards  is  held  in  Manila,  and  no  man  can  hold  one  of  those 
positions  who  does  not  qualify  in  this  school.  All  matters 
of  sanitation  are  taken  up  and  thoroughly  studied  in  the 
light  of  methods  in  use  in  Manila.  These  men,  so  quali- 
fied, are  to  be  held  to  strict  account  for  quarantine  work 
and  all  other  assistance  needed  in  the  provinces  in  times 
of  epidemic. 

But  the  Philippines  are  emphatically  agricultural,  and 
it  is  here  that  the  government  is  spending  its  money,  or 


s Commissioner  Worcester. 


238  The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 


the  money  of  the  Filipino  people,  most  liberally,  and  with 
what  seems  to  me  the  largest  possibilities  of  direct  returns 
next  to  the  expenditure  under  the  head  of  transportation 
and  sanitation. 

The  improvements  slated  for  the  field  of  agriculture 
are  manifold.  First  comes  the  establishment  of  a Bureau, 
with  a trained  staff  of  experts  chosen  by  the  most  prac- 
tical and  statesman-like  Secretary  of  Agriculture  the  Wash- 
ington government  has  ever  had — Hon.  James  F.  Wilson. 
This  Bureau  has  provided  for  and  established  four  large 
experiment  farms  in  the  various  islands,  besides  the  stock 
farm  on  the  island  of  Culion,  and  the  rice-farm  at  Murcia, 
Luzon.  At  these  experiment  farms  they  are  at  work  on 
all  lines  of  possible  improvement  of  forage  and  food- 
plants,  of  fibers  and  herbs,  yielding  a wide  variety  of 
tropical  products.  The  study  of  the  best  minds  that  can- 
be  secured  is  given  to  how  to  grow  rice  to  the  best  advan- 
tage. On  a large  plantation  in  the  center  of  Luzon  dry 
cultivation  is  carried  on  before  the  eyes  of  wondering 
natives,  who  have  wallowed  in  mud  as  deep  as  their  buf- 
faloes' bodies  all  these  years  to  put  in  this  particular  crop. 
To  see  the  land  plowed  dry  and  the  rice  put  in  with  a com- 
mon drill,  and  then  the  crop  flooded  as  often  as  necessary 
during  growth,  then  the  water  drained  off  so  as  to  make 
it  possible  for  self-binding  harvesters  to  cut  their  wide 
swathes,  and  leave  the  bundles  in  heaps  behind  its  onward 
march, — all  this  is  a marvelous  revolution  of  all  their 
notions  of  the  way  to  cultivate  rice.  It  is  proven  before 
their  eyes  that  all  their  toilsome  methods  of  plowing  in 
almost  bottomless  mud,  planting  the  green  shoots  by  band 
while  wading  in  mud  half  way  to  the  waist,  and  then  reap- 
ing with  a sickle  and  binding  by  hand,  do  not  secure  so 
large  a yield  on  the  same  ground  as  methods  which  make 


Further  I m provem i:nts. 


239 


possible  the  tillage  of  fifty  times  the  area  that  they  have 
thought  it  possible  to  cultivate. 

This  Bureau  is  experimenting  with  coffee,  india- 
rubber,  gutta-percha,  and  other  tropical  products  which 
will  grow  here — which  do  grow  here — and  for  which  the 
United  States  affords  such  a lucrative  market.  They  arc 
importing  stallions  and  bulls  of  the  best  breeds  to  cross 
with  native  animals,  with  the  idea  of  improving  size, 
speed,  draft  powers,  and  the  yield  of  milk.  With  even  a 
lavish  expenditure  of  money  the  department  is  building 
great  laboratories  for  the  exact  scientific  study  of  the  pests 
and  diseases  which  destroy  human,  animal,  and  plant  life 
in  the  Archipelago.*  Already  the  experts  in  these  labora- 

" This  building,  upon  which  work  has  already  begun,  will  pro- 
vide adequate  space  for  the  Chemical  and  Biological  Laboratories, 
the  Serum  Institute,  and  for  a library  of  thirty  thousand  volumes. 
It  is  intended  primarily  as  an  institution  for  practical  investigation 
rather  than  for  instruction,  and  large  rooms  are  therefore  unnec- 
essary. Each  class  of  work  will  have  separate  space  allotted  to  it, 
so  that  it  will  not  interfere  with  other  work  which  is  being  carried 
on  simultaneously.  The  Chemical  Laboratory  will  afford  space 
and  thoroughly  adequate  facilities  for  the  analysis  of  minerals, 
mineral  products,  and  rocks,  water,  soils,  food  products,  paints, 
oils,  beverages,  and  other  materials,  and  for  investigations  with 
reference  to  the  natural  resources  of  the  Islands,  the  means  of 
improving  present  products,  and  the  possibility  of  developing 
new  industries.  Rooms  will  be  provided  for  distillation,  for  ex- 
amination of  plant  products,  and  for  work  in  pharmacology,  with 
special  reference  to  the  value  of  our  numerous  medicinal  plants. 

A part  of  the  ground  floor  of  the  Chemical  Laboratory  will  be 
set  aside  for  a Physical  Laboratory,  which  will  be  equipped  for 
gravimetric,  volumetric,  thermometric,  and  photometric  work,  and 
the  electrical  measurements,  and  will  provide  suitable  facilities  for 
standardizing  weights  and  measures. 

The  Biological  Laboratory  will  have  suitable  space  and  proper 
equipment  for  the  making  of  diagnostic  analyses,  bacteriologically 
and  otherwise,  and  for  the  investigation  of  tropical  diseases  of 
man  and  of  the  plants  and  animals  useful  to  man. 


240  The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 

lories,  under  the  leadership  of  Dr.  Strong,  have  discovered 
and  applied  a serum  that  will  immunize  cattle  against  the 
rinderpest.  That  one  achievement  is  worth  a score  of 
times  the  cost  of  the  entire  department  up  to  date,  and 
will  repay  itself  over  and  over  again  in  the  years  to  come. 

No  better  coffee  can  be  grown  in  the  world  than  in  the 
Philippines.  Formerly  it  was  extensively  grown  and  ex- 
ported, but  an  insect  working  in  the  stems  of  the  coffee- 
bush  began  its  deadly  work  in  1892-93,  and  the  oldest 
plantations  were  almost  annihilated.  In  1883  nearly 
seven  thousand  five  hundred  tons  of  coffee  were  exported, 
while  in  1896  exports  had  fallen  to  the  ridiculously  low 
figure  of  ninety  tons ! The  experts  are  at  work,  and  the 
ravages  of  this  insect  will  yet  be  checked  and  plantations 
of  coffee,  with  their  lovely  foliage  and  snow-white  blos- 
soms, will  again  wave  on  the  rich  soil  of  Batangas. 

Two  other  schemes  for  bettering  conditions  refuse  to 
come  into  the  classification  with  which  this  chapter  began. 
These  are  the  establishment  of  a leper  colony,  and  the 
opening  of  a summer  capital  at  Baguio,  in  the  mountain 
province  of  Benguet,  Luzon,  with  ample  provisions  for  a 
sanitarium. 

The  number  of  lepers  in  the  Philippines  was  estimated 
at  thirty  thousand  at  the  time  of  the  establishment  of  civil 
government  in  1901.  This  number  has  been  found  to  be 
at  least  three  times  too  high.  There  can  not  be  more  than 
one-third  that  number,  but  even  for  these  unfortunates 
adequate  provision  must  be  made.  Several  small  islands 
have  been  considered  with  reference  to  their  fitness  as 
places  for  the  leper  colony,  but  one  after  another  aban- 
doned because  of  insufficient  water-supply,  poverty  of  nat- 
ural resources,  or  lack  of  harbor  accommodation  along 
their  coasts  for  the  landing  of  patients,  officials,  and  sup- 
plies. It  is  the  fixed  determination  of  the  government 


Further  Im provements. 


241 


to  isolate  the  lepers,  segregate  the  sexes,  give  adequate 
medical  treatment,  furnish  them  with  separate  cottages  as 
far  as  possible,  allow  all  possible  outdoor  life,  and  while 
easing,  so  far  as  may  be,  the  sufferings  of  the  victims, 
effectually  prevent  the  spread  of  the  loathsome  disease. 
This  is  being  undertaken  at  no  little  expense,  and  is.  per- 
haps. the  largest  single  effort  of  the  government  to  relieve 
incurable  suffering,  and  protect  the  public  against  the 


AMONG  THE  PINES  IN  BENGUET. 

possibility  of  contracting  a disease  which  has  been  a shud- 
dering horror  to  humanity  since  Moses  wrote  his  Codes 
for  Israelites.  Within  a year  or  two,  at  latest,  this  work 
of  national  beneficence  will  be  in  full  working  order. 

This  is  a fine  tropical  climate.  But  it  is  still  tropical. 
The  white  man  finds  his  burden  heavy  to  bear  where  tem- 
perature never  falls  below  sixty,  and  averages  eighty  de- 
grees in  the  shade.  He  loses  his  vigor.  In  a few  years  it 
becomes  necessary  either  to  leave  for  a colder  climate  or 
spend  a few  weeks  of  each  year  at  an  altitude  at  which 
16 


242  The;  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 

the  same  degree  of  cold  can  be  experienced.  The  Com- 
mission is  casting  about  for  such  an  altitude,  where  water, 
soil,  and  timber  made  it  possible  to  build  a city  to  which 
officials  and  non-officials  could  resort  for  recuperation, 
lighted  upon  the  town  of  Baguio  in  the  province  of  Ben- 
guet,  and  has  chosen  it  as  its  sanitarium  for  employees, 
and  its  summer  capital,  whither  it  will  repair  and  sit  dur- 
ing the  heated  months,  as  the  Viceory  of  India  and  his 
Council  sit  in  Simla,  and  the  various  provincial  govern- 
ments of  India  go  to  Hill  Stations  within  their  respective 
limits.  Baguio  is  about  one  hundred  and  seventy-five 
miles  north  of  Manila.  The  climate  is  about  perfect. 
Nearly  all  patients  who  go  up  from  Manila  or  from  any 
part  of  the  coastal  plains  revive  and  regain  strength, 
weight,  and  normal  vigor.  The  establishment  of  this 
sanitarium  station  and  summer  capital  will  largely  solve 
the  question  of  retaining  the  services  of  government  offi- 
cers having  families.  Cottages  will  be  erected  and  a 
summer  colony  established  where  breezes  are  cool  and 
blankets  and  fires  a luxury,  even  in  June!  The  follow- 
ing is  an  extract  from  the  official  report  as  to  tempera- 
ture, humidity,  and  cloudiness : 


TABLE  OF  MEAN  TEMPERATURE  AT  MANILA  AND  BAGUIO. 


Jan. 

Feb. 

Mar. 

April  May 

June 

July 

Aug. 

Sept. 

Oct. 

Nov. 

Dec. 

Manila 

77.0 

80  4 

82.9 

S3  3 

82  0 

SO.8 

80.S 

80.4 

80.8 

79.0 

77-4 

Baguio 

63.5 

62.  1 

66  9 

70  5 

68.3 

67  2 

66.3 

64.6 

67.0 

67.6 

66.0 

64-3 

Difference 

13-5 

156 

'3  5 

12.4 

150 

14.8 

•4-3 

16.2 

13-4 

13-2 

13.0 

•3-» 

“The  maximum  temperature  for  the  year,  82.8°,  oc- 
curred on  April  19th.  This  is  slightly  higher  than  the 
maximum  temperature  with  which  Baguio  has  been  cred- 
ited. The  minimum  for  the  year,  42.  i°,  was  recorded 
February  18th. 


F URTHER  I M PROVEMENTS. 


^43 


“The  relative  humidity  was  slightly  greater  at  Baguio 
than  at  Manila,  except  during  the  months  of  October  and 
November,  when  it  was  less.  By  months  it  was  as  fol- 
lows: January,  76;  February,  79;  March,  76;  April,  74; 
May,  86;  June,  90;  July,  89;  August,  93;  September,  90; 
October,  83  ; November,  82  ; December,  84. 

"Except  during  the  months  of  July,  August,  and  Sep- 
tember, the  mornings  were  almost  uniformly  free  from 
fog.  It  is  an  interesting  fact  that  for  every  month  of  the 
year  there  is  less  cloudiness  at  Baguio  than  at  Manila. 
The  rainfall  by  months  in  inches,  was  as  follows:  Janu- 
ary. 0.06;  February,  0.57;  March,  1.46;  April,  0.32;  May, 
4.02;  June,  12.55:  July,  15.43:  August,  37.03;  September. 
11.90;  October,  4.95;  November.  2.52;  December,  5.47; 
total,  96.28.  It  will  be  noted  that  January,  February, 
March,  and  April  are  very  dry,  the  greatest  dryness  oc- 
curring at  the  time  of  greatest  heat,  in  April.  June,  July, 
August,  and  September  are  wet,  and  moderate  rains  occur 
during  October,  November,  December,  and  May.” 


CHAPTER  XIV. 


Resources. 

The  principal  resources  of  the  Philippines  are  in  her 
rich  soil.  Minerals  there  are,  and  these  will  be  men- 
tioned in  this  chapter ; but  it  is  by  her  agriculture  that 
she  has  flourished  in  the  past,  and  it  will  be  by  the  de- 
velopment of  her  agricultural  possibilities  that  she  will 
come  to  the  front  as  a prosperous  country  in  the  future. 

Let  it  be  remembered  that  the  world  is  increasingly 
dependent  upon  the  tropics  for  its  food  supply,  and  for 
the  thousand  articles  of  manufacture  and  commerce 
without  which  the  wheels  of  modern  business  enterprise 
would  stand  still.  Then  let  it  be  remembered  that  no- 
where in  the  tropics  is  there  a better  climate,  or  a more 
fertile  soil,  or  more  abundant  forests,  and  the  resources 
of  these  Islands  will  take  on  a new  meaning.  Kidd,  in 
his  “Control  of  the  Tropics,”  says: 

“If  present  indications  are  not  entirely  misleading, 
we  are  about  to  witness  an  international  rivalry  for  the 
control  of  the  trade  of  the  tropics  on  a far  vaster  scale 
than  any  which  has  hitherto  been  imagined.  It  is  remark- 
able that,  in  the  midst  of  other  matters  which  hold  the 
public  mind,  but  the  importance  of  which  is  trivial  in  com- 
parison, the  large  issues  which  are  involved  under  this 
head  should  have  as  yet  occupied  so  little  attention. 

“If  we  turn  at  the  present  time  to  the  import  lists  of 
the  world  and  regard  them  carefully,  it  will  soon  become 
apparent  to  what  a large  extent  our  civilization  already 
draws  its  supplies  from  the  tropics.  Of  recent  years  we 

244 


Resources. 


245 


have  been  largely  occupied  in  discussing  questions  affect- 
ing the  conditions  of  our  own  industrial  production.  Yet 
it  is  curious  to  reflect  to  what  a large  extent  our  complex, 
highly-organized  modern  life  rests  on  the  work  and  pro- 
duction of  a region  of  the  world  to  which  our  relations  are 
either  indefinite  or  entirely  casual — a region  which  has, 
it  must  be  remembered,  hitherto  produced  no  example  of 
native  government  successful  in  the  European  sense,  but 
towards  which,  nevertheless,  no  political  party  and  no 
school  of  thought  have  so  far  set  forth  any  scheme  or 
policy  either  consistent  in  itself  or  possessing  the  merit 
even  of  being  generally  accepted  in  principle.  . . . 

We  have  heard  from  time  to  time,  recently,  a great  dis- 
cussion concerning  the  trade  of  the  United  Kingdom 
with  the  British  colonies  and  dependencies.  The  total 
of  this  trade  (exports  and  imports)  for  the  year  1896 
amounted,  if  we  include  Egypt,  to  some  $953,480,000. 
It  is  somewhat  startling,  when  we  come  to  analyze  the 
figures,  to  find  that  some  $498,680,000  of  it  was  trade 
between  the  United  Kingdom  and  the  British  regions  of 
the  tropical  belt.  . . . But  it  may  be  said  that  Great 

Britain  is  exceptionally  situated  as  regards  the  currents 
of  trade,  and  the  nature  of  its  imports  and  exports.  If, 
however,  we  turn  to  the  United  States  of  America,  it  is 
only  to  find  the  same  lesson  more  strongly  emphasized. 
Looking  down  the  import  list  for  1895,  and  taking  the 
fifteen  heads  under  which  the  largest  values  have  been 
imported,  we  find  they  include  some  two-thirds  of  the 
total  import  of  the  United  States.  A glance  at  the  prin- 
cipal comodities  to  show  to  what  an  enormous  extent  the 
produce  of  the  tropics  is  represented, — here  the  two  items 
which  stand  at  the  top  of  the  list  are  coffee  and  sugar,  of 
which  the  imports  are  valued,  respectively,  at  $96,000,000 
and  $76,000,000.  The  value  of  imports  of  these  two  arti- 
cles alone  does  not  fall  very  far  short  of  one-fourth  of 
the  total  value  of  the  imports  of  the  Lhiited  States  for 
the  year  in  question.  If  we  add  to  it  the  values  of  three 
other  heads — viz.,  (1)  india-rubber,  (2)  tobacco,  and 
(3)  tea — we  have  a total  of  some  $220,000,000.  If  we 
endeavor  to  deal  with  the  whole  import  list  on  the  prin- 


246  The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 


ciple  followed  in  the  case  of  Great  Britain,  and  seek  to 
•distinguish  what  proportion  of  the  total  imports  of  the 
United  States  comes  from  the  region  embraced  between 
latitude  30°  north  and  30°  south  of  the  equator,  we  get  a 
total  value  of  approximately  $250,000,000  from  tropical 
regions.  This  is  over  one-third  of  the  entire  imports 
of  the  United  States,  the  .total  for  that  year  from  all 
sources  being  $731,000,000.” 

The  chief  farm  crops  of  the  Philippines  are  hemp, 
rice,  sugar,  tobacco,  copra,  and,  in  the  past,  as  explained 
in  the  previous  chapter,  coffee.  The  peculiar  crop  is 
hemp.  Manila  hemp  holds  the  world's  market  in  this 
article,  and  will  likely  continue  to  hold  it  against  all 
comers.  Singularly  enough,  it  is  not  grown  in  or  very 
near  Manila,  though  it  bears  the  name  of  the  city  from 
which  it  is  chiefly  exported. 

Hemp  ( Musa  textilis ) — referred  to  bv  some  writers 
as  M.  Troglydyarum — is  a wild  species  of  the  plantain. 
It  greatly  resembles  the  M.  paradasaica,  which  bears  the 
edible  banana.  Experts  only  can  tell  the  difference  be- 
tween the  hemp-tree  and  the  banana-tree.  The  notable 
thing  that  marks  them  from  one  another  is  the  color 
and  size  of  the  leaf.  It  grows  best  on  well-drained 
slopes,  and  flourishes  where  soil  is  shallow,  even  where 
evidences  of  volcanic  action  are  abundant.  It  demands 
plenty  of  shade,  like  the  rubber-tree.  The  tree  averages 
ten  feet  in  height.  It  is  an  endogenous  plant,  the  stem 
of  it  being  inclosed  in  layers  of  half-round  petioles.  The 
fiber  of  commerce  is  extracted  from  these  petioles.  When 
the  trees  are  cut  down,  they  are  cut  into  strips  from  five 
to  six  inches  wide  and  drawn  under  a knife  attached  at 
one  end  to  a block  of  wood  by  a hinge,  while  the  other 
end  is  hung  from  the  end  of  a flexible  stick.  This  bend- 
ing stick  raises  the  knife,  and,  by  a simple  treadle  at- 


ALI.  ABOARD  ! IN  A SUGAR-FIELD. 


Resources. 


249 


tachment,  the  pressure  of  the  operator’s  foot  can  bring 
the  knife  to  work  on  the  petiole  with  whatever  force  is 
required.  The  bast,  or  crude  fiber,  is  drawn  under  the 
edge  of  the  knife,  and  the  pulpy  mass  that  forms  such  a 
large  percentage  of  the  petiole  in  its  succulent  state  is 
left  on  the  other  side.  It  is  wholly  useless  so  far  as 
hemp  growers  yet  know.  The  fiber  often  measures  six 
feet  six  inches  in  length,  and  is  very  strong.  After  this 
stripping  process,  the  fiber  is  spread  in  the  sun  to  he 
thoroughly  dried,  and  then  tightly  baled  for  shipment. 
A machine  to  draw  fiber  is  the  great  desideratum  of  the 
hemp  business.  A man  by  the  name  of  Smith  claims  to 
have  perfected  such  a machine  within  a few  months.  If 
he  has  succeeded  he  will  prove  the  Eli  Whitney  of  the 
hemp-trade.  A workable  machine  that  will  not  discolor 
the  delicate  fiber  as  it  is  being  separated  from  the  pulp, 
and  that  will  leave  it  of  even  size  and  strength  when 
drawn,  will  revolutionize  this  important  industry. 

It  is  an  easy  crop  to  grow.  It  must  be  planted  in  the 
shade  of  larger  trees,  so  the  land  should  not  be  wholly 
cleared.  It  requires  a minimum  of  cultivation.  Within 
three  years  of  planting,  the  young  tree’s  fiber  may  be 
extracted,  and  after  that,  for  a number  of  years,  the 
grower  has  only  the  ordinary  dangers  of  drought  or  bad 
markets  to  fear.  Locusts  do  not  eat  the  plant.  Fire  will 
not  spread  among  its  sappy  leaves.  There  is  no  special 
cropping  season,  but  fiber  may  be  extracted  at  any  time 
in  the  year,  and  thus  a constant  income  is  derived  from 
a plantation  which  requires  but  little  labor  after  that 
which  started  it  into  bearing.  The  islands  of  Samar  and 
Leyte  grow  the  finest  quality  of  hemp,  having  the  prov- 
inces of  Albay  and  Sorsogon  as  close  seconds,  both  in 
acreage  and  quality  of  the  product.  Shipments  have 
leaped  from  41,535  tons  in  1881  to  112,755  tons  1897. 


250  The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 

It  fell  somewhat  during  the  war,  but  has  gone  up  again 
by  leaps  and  bounds  since  peace  has  been  restored.  In 
fact  the  increase  in  hemp  exports  furnishes  a good  indi- 
cation that  peace  has  indeed  come ; for  the  hemp-pro- 
ducing portions  of  the  Archipelago  have  been  longest  in 
submitting  to  the  new  order  of  things. 

There  is  no  industry  in  the  Philippines  to-day  which 
can  compare  with  this  one ; and  the  production  of  this 
valuable  fiber  is  capable  of  being  enormously  enlarged. 
Were  capital  available,  in  ten  years’  time  these  Islands, 
instead  of  exporting  $20,000,000  worth  of  raw  hemp, 
would  be  exporting  $200,000,000  worth  of  finished 
products  manufactured  from  Manila  hemp,  to  say  noth- 
ing of  the  raw  material. 

Pice  is  more  universally  grown  than  any  other  crop ; 
but,  strange  as  it  may  seem,  is  not  grown  in  sufficient 
quantities  to  feed  the  people.  Rice  is  imported  from 
Saigon  in  large  quantities  to  make  up  the  deficiency. 
This  is  an  abnormal  state  of  things,  and  all  are  confident 
that  the  Philippines  will  soon  be  an  exporter  rather  than 
an  importer  of  this  basal  foodstuff  of  her  people.  Much 
of  the  land  raises  excellent  rice.  A yield  of  one-hun- 
dred-fold has  been  realized  in  parts  of  Bulacan  province. 
Yields  of  sixty  and  seventy  fold  arc  not  uncommon  and 
fifty  and  below  reward  even  the  poorest  tiller  of  the 
soil.  When  conditions  are  again  normal,  and  when  im- 
provements in  agricultural  methods  have  been  really 
adopted  by  small  cultivators,  rice  will  figure  as  one  of 
the  chief  exports,  ranking  with  sugar  and  copra.  A 
laborer  in  a rice-field  in  the  Philippines  produces  fifteen 
hundred  pounds  of  paddy,  or  unhusked  rice.  The  same 
amount  of  human  labor  in  America,  with  modern  methods 
and  appliances,  produces  one  hundred  and  sixty  thou- 
sand pounds. 


Resources. 


251 


Tobacco  was  made  a government  monopoly  from 
1781  to  1882.  No  one  was  permitted  to  grow  any  other 
crop  in  certain  Luzon  provinces,  except  on  certified  per- 
mission from  the  proper  official  that  he  had  signed  a 
contract  for  the  delivery  of  four  thousand  tobacco-plants. 


FRESHLY -TAPPED  GUTTA-PERCHA  TREE  OF  THE  BEST  VARIETY 
(DICHOPSIS  GUTTA),  TJIPITIS  PLANTATIONS,  JAVA. 

(After  a few  hours  the  flow  will  have  ceased  and  the  gutta-percha 
have  become  hard. ) 

duly  cured  and  of  specified  fineness  and  weight.  The 
monopoly  worked  terrible  hardship  on  the  cultivators  and 
land-owners.  It  was  a long  chapter  of  oppression  and 
injustice.  The  profit  to  the  Spanish  government  was 
about  $2,500,000.  annually,  but  general  agricultural  in- 
terests suffered. 


252  The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 

“From  sunrise  to  sunset  the  native  grower  was  sub- 
jected to  domiciliary  search  for  concealed  tobacco.  His 
trunks,  furniture,  and  every  nook  and  corner  of  his  dwell- 
ing was  ransacked.  He  and  all  his  family — wife  and 
daughters  included — were  personally  examined ; and  often 
an  irate  husband,  father,  or  brother,  goaded  to  madness  by 
the  indecent  humiliation  of  his  kinswoman,  would  lay 
hands  on  his  bowie-knife  and  bring  matters  to  a bloody 
crisis  with  his  wanton  persecutors.  . . . The  leaves 
were  carefully  selected,  and  only  such  as  came  under  classi- 
fication were  paid  for  to  the  grower.  The  rejected  bundles 
were  not  returned  to  him,  but  burnt.  . . . The  village 
official  had,  under  penalty  of  arrest  and  imprisonment, 
at  hard  labor,  to  see  that  the  families  fulfilled  their  oner- 
ous contract.  Corporal  punishment,  imprisonment,  and 
fines  resulted,  culminating  in  riots  such  as  those  of  Ilocos 
in  1807  and  1814,  when  many  Spaniards  fell  victims  to 
the  natives’  resentment  of  their  oppression.” 

This  iniquity  was  abolished  in  1882,  and  now  the 
entire  business  is  in  the  hands  of  commercial  companies 
of  which  the  Compania  General  de  Tobacos  de  Pilipinas, 
with  a capital  of  $13,500,000,  is  by  far  the  largest.  It 
owns  immense  tobacco  plantations,  and  has  a large  fac- 
tory in  Manila.  This  company  holds  the  contract  for 
furnishing  several  nations  of  Europe  with  this  weed. 
Its  shipments  are  very  large.  To  those  of  us  who  wish 
that  the  whole  business  of  the  growth,  manufacture,  and 
use  of  this  noxious  plant  were  done  away  with,  both 
in  the  interest  of  health  and  decency,  it  is  discouraging 
to  find  such  a lusty  trade  in  it.  Its  use  is  well-nigh  uni- 
versal. Children  smoke.  I saw  a little  girl,  a few  days 
ago,  carrying  a small  brother  astride  her  hip,  and  lead- 
ing a little  four  or  five  year  old  sister  by  the  hand.  The 
older  sister  was  not  more  than  eight  years  of  age,  but 
all  three  had  cigarettes  in  their  mouths ! In  the  prov- 
inces they  make  what  some  Americans  facetiously  name 


Resources. 


253 


“the  family  cigar.”  It  is  rolled  out  of  the  pure  leaf, 
and  often  measures  ten  inches  in  length.  It  is  smoked 
first  by  one,  and  then  by  another  member  of  the  family, 
and  lasts  for  hours. 

Sugar  finds  as  good  a soil  in  parts  of  the  Philippines 
as  can  be  found  in  the  world.  Its  growth  and  care  follow 
methods  used  elsewhere  in  the  tropics.  It  is  a very 
profitable  crop  in  a good  year,  even  with  the  crude  crush- 
ing machines  which  extract  but  fifty  per  cent  of  the  cane- 
juice.  Improved  methods  of  handling  it  will  make  it 
of  first-rate  importance  as  one  of  the  resources  of  the 
Islands. 

Copra  is  dried  cocoanut,  from  which  oil  is  extracted. 
It  is  prepared  in  increasing  quantities,  and  stands  fourth 
in  the  list  of  exports.  Cocoanut-groves  grow  with  little 
care  anywhere  that  the  breath  of  salt  air  can  fan  them. 
Along  the  sandy  shores  of  the  Islands,  even  on  soils  that 
will  not  raise  other  crops,  the  graceful  cocoanut,  with 
its  cluster  of  fruit  tightly  held  about  it  like  a crown, 
flourishes  in  all  seasons.  The  water  from  the  nut  is 
always  cool,  and  slakes  thirst  and  reduces  perspiration 
better  than  ordinary  boiled  water.  I have  spent  days  in 
the  provinces  when  no  other  liquid  was  used.  Commer- 
cially, cocoanut  has  just  begun  to  be  appreciated.  Its 
oil  will  command  a large  place  in  the  world  market  as 
its  virtues  become  known. 

There  are  very  large  areas  of  the  63,000,000  acres  of 
unappropriated  government  lands  admirably  adapted  to 
the  cultivation  of  cocoanuts.  Cocoanut-trees  come  to 
bearing  in  from  five  to  seven  years,  reaching  the  bear- 
ing stage  more  slowly  as  the  altitude  increases.  The 
trees  can  be  grown  readily  and  with  comparatively  little 
danger  of  loss.  Under  existing  conditions,  the  minimum 
annual  profit  from  a fairly  good  bearing  tree  is  one  dol- 


254  The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 

lar,  Mexican,  and  frequently  two  or  three  times  this 
amount  is  realized.  The  ground  under  the  tree  is  now 
either  allowed  to  grow  up  with  brush  or  kept  clear  by 
hand.  The  growth  of  underbrush  injures  the  soil,  and 
leads  to  the  loss  of  falling  nuts,  while  clearing  by  hand 
is  quite  expensive.  The  use  of  mowing  machines  would 
result  in  great  saving  in  the  cost  of  labor  necessary  to 
keep  the  ground  clear  and  gather  the  nuts.  Other  crops, 
such  as  Indian  corn  and  alfalfa,  can  be  grown  between 
the  rows  of  cocoanut-trees  while  the  latter  are  matur- 
ing, and  used  to  fatten  hogs,  which  always  bring  a good 
price  in  the  Philippine  market.  The  demand  for  copra 
in  these  Islands  is  greatly  in  excess  of  the  supply,  and 
is  steadily  increasing,  while  cocoanut  oil  now  seils  readily 
in  Manila  at  $1.25,  Mexican,  per  gallon. 

Coffee  grown  in  the  Philippines  once  took  top  prices 
on  the  London  market.  It  was  known  as  “Leepa  Coffee.” 
In  1892  to  1893  a borer  appeared  which  practically  anni- 
hilated the  plantations.  In  1883  exports  of  coffee  reached 
a total  of  7,451  tons.  In  1896  it  had  fallen  to  ninety  tons! 
The  plant  requires  shade,  and  gives  marketable  coffee  the 
fourth  year  after  planting.  About  seventeen  hundred 
plants  can  be  grown  on  one  acre.  Government  is  experi- 
menting with  coffee  again,  hoping  successfully  to  fight  off 
the  borer,  and  also  a leaf  disease  equally  harmful,  and 
secure  such  growth  of  the  berry  as  will  again  place  it  in 
the  list  of  exports. 

Besides  these  crops,  which  either  are  now  exported 
in  large  quantities  or  will  soon  begin  to  figure  in  that 
column,  there  are  many  articles  of  food  which  are  only 
available  locally,  which  any  enumeration  of  resources 
should  include.  These  are  maize,  ccmiotcs,  or  a coarse 
kind  of  sweet  potatoes,  potatoes,  and  cacao.  These  ar- 
ticles supply  a large  portion  of  the  food  of  tens  of  thou- 


Resources. 


255 


sands  of  the  common  people.  With  fish  and  rice,  they 
feed  more  than  all  other  sorts  of  food  together.  Maize 
is  cultivated  exactly  like  corn  in  Kansas  or  Iowa.  It 
looks  wonderfully  like  a bit  of  home  to  see  a field  of  this 
familiar  plant,  with  its  silky  banners  and  its  steel-gray 


A NATIVE  SAWMILL-LIMITED! 


tassels.  Three  crops  a year  from  the  same  land  is  com- 
mon, and  the  yield  runs  from  twenty-five  to  fortv  bushels 
to  the  acre,  according  to  soil,  rainfall,  and  cultivation. 
It  is  ground  in  handmills,  and  eaten  in  the  form  of  hoe- 
cake. 

The  cacao-tree  is  an  attractive-looking  bush,  with  a 
greenish  yellow  foliage.  Its  cultivation  is  a risky  busi- 


256  The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 

ness  as  at  present  carried  on.  A high  wind  at  the  right 
time  will  ruin  the  yield  by  throwing  all  the  gherkin-like 
fruitpods  to  the  ground.  Rats  destroy  plantations  of  it. 
When  a crop  can  be  gathered,  it  is  extremely  profitable. 
Almost  every  householder  in  the  provinces  has  a tree  or 
more  in  his  yard,  and  the  women  of  the  house  roast  the 
beans,  mash  them  with  wet  sugar,  and  make  a chocolate 
paste  which  is  most  palatable.  Its  use  is  almost  univer- 
sal among  the  middle  classes  in  supplying  the  place  taken 
by  tea  or  coffee  among  Americans.  Mr.  Lyon,  the  ex- 
pert tropical  agriculturist  of  the  Agricultural  Bureau, 
states  that  in  no  other  country  has  he  seen  climate  and 
soil  so.  favorable  to  cacao-growing  as  in  Mindanao.  The 
cacao  now  produced  in  that  island  is  of  superior  quality, 
and  is  nearly  all  bought  up  for  shipment  to  Spain,  where 
it  brings  an  especially  high  price.  There  are  numerous 
other  regions  in  the  Islands  where  cacao  can  be  raised 
to  great  advantage,  but  it  is  hardly  too  much  to  say  that 
there  is  not  to-day  a cacao  plantation  in  the  Archipelago, 
the  Filipinos  having  almost  invariably  contented  them- 
selves with  planting  a few  scattering  bushes,  which  are 
left  practically  without  care,  to  be  swamped  by  brush 
and  preyed  upon  by  insects.  Proper  harvesting  and  cur- 
ing methods  are  not  employed.  The  fruits  are  torn  from 
the  bushes,  injuring  the  bark  and  leaving  the  way  open 
for  the  attacks  of  injurious  insect  pests.  With  the  urgent 
demand  for  this  product  both  in  Europe  and  America, 
as  well  as  in  the  Philippines,  the  cultivation  of  the  cacao 
should  be  very  profitable. 

Potatoes  can  be  grown  in  Cebu  and  Benguet.  They 
are  rarely  larger  than  walnuts,  but  of  excellent  quality. 

Castor-oil,  btiyo  or  betel-nut,  and  areca-nuts  are  also 
in  common  use  among  the  mass  of  the  people.  (Betel- 


Resources. 


257 


nut  is  chewed  like  tobacco.  It  is  fully  as  filthy  a habit, 
staining  lips  and  teeth  blood-red.) 

Fruits  are  abundant.  In  this  respect  the  Philippines, 
while  not  satisfying  the  European  or  American,  does 
furnish  as  fine  a variety  as  any  portion  of  the  tropics. 
First  and  foremost  is  the  banana.  It  grows  everywhere, 
and  is  always  ready  to  eat.  Trees  continue  bearing  from 
the  same  root  for  from  ten  to  fifteen  years.  Next  comes 
the  mango.  This  is  the  king  of  tropical  fruits  for  its 
delicious  flavor  and  royal  color.  It  is  not  so  serviceable 
a fruit  as  the  banana,  because  it  ripens  in  March  and 
April  of  each  year,  and  is  gone  by  September,  while 
bananas  are  always  blooming,  always  ripening,  and  al- 
ways ready  for  use.  The  mango  is  oblong,  oval-shaped, 
from  three  to  five  inches  long,  and  has  a large  pit  or 
stone  in  the  middle.  It  is  so  juicy  that  eating  it  in  public 
is  a feat  difficult  of  accomplishment.  But  its  yellow 
flesh,  flavored  like  a combination  of  the  peach,  straw- 
berry, plum,  and  russet  apple,  is  one  of  the  most  luscious 
that  human  palates  find.  The  tree  is  an  ornament  to 
any  grounds,  with  its  domelike  shape,  and  its  rich,  glossy 
leaves.  Oranges  of  the  loose-skinned  sort  are  plentiful 
at  the  proper  seasons,  and  of  an  excellent  quality.  Cus- 
tard apples,  chicos,  citrons,  lanzones,  jack-fruit,  bread- 
fruit, guavas,  mangosteens  (in  Mindanao),  pine-apples, 
and  tamarinds  are  also  to  be  had  in  season.  With  the 
exception  of  the  mango,  the  fruits  of  this  region  have 
been  practically  wholly  neglected.  Such  tropical  fruits 
as  bananas  and  pineapples,  and  the  extra-tropical  citrus 
fruits,  which,  together,  practically  make  up  the  world’s 
supply  of  commercial  tropical  fruit  products,  are  totally 
undeveloped  in  these  Islands.  The  conditions  of  the 
soil  and  climate  here  are  so  generally  adapted  to  the 

17 


258  The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 

growth  of  oranges  and  other  citrus  fruits,  that  the  rapid 
development  and  large  production  of  these  most  valua- 
ble crops  are  matters  fairly  beyond  the  experimental 
stage,  requiring  nothing  more  than  the  importation  of 
selected  varieties  in  sufficient  quantities  for  their  rapid 
propagation  and  wide  dissemination. 

Forest  products  deserve  an  entire  book,  not  to  say  a 
portion  of  one  chapter.  These  are  not  surpassed  in  any 
part  of  the  tropics.  Bamboo,  with  its  almost  endless 
uses  in  building,  fencing,  rafting,  shipping,  and  in  every 
branch  of  trade,  holds  the  position  among  forest  products 
that  the  banana  holds  among  fruits.  It  serves  more 
useful  purposes,  and  is  really  worth  more  to  the  Filipino, 
than  any  other  growth  of  the  forest  kind.  Bcjucc,  or 
native  rattan,  is  also  eminently  useful.  It  takes  the 
place  of  rope,  and  nails,  and  screws,  and  bolts.  All  na- 
tive houses  are  held  together  by  bcjuco.  Rafts  are  lashed 
together  with  it.  Hemp  bales  go  to  their  destinations 
in  the  ends  of  the  earth  clasped  firmly  by  this  native 
rattan. 

In  the  line  of  hard  woods,  the  Islands  are  remark- 
ably rich.  Altogether  more  than  seventy  kinds  are  well 
known,  which  give  an  excellent  polish,  and  more  than 
a dozen  which  rank  with  the  best  mahogany.  Several 
of  the  finest  woods  have  been  discovered  since  the  Amer- 
ican occupation.  A list  of  these  trees  would  fill  pages. 
Among  the  timbers  most  in  demand  for  export  is  narra, 
or  a kind  of  mahogany,  either  white  or  deep  blood-red. 
It  can  be  had  in  logs  squared  to  twenty-six  inches  and 
up  to  thirty-five  feet  in  length.  It  polishes  well,  and  is 
extensively  used  for  inside  finishings  in  the  best  class 
of  houses,  for  furniture,  and  for  ornamental  work  of  any 
kind.  It  can  be  had  in  very  great  diameters.  Tables 
will  be  exhibited  at  the  St.  Eouis  Exposition,  the  tops 


Resources. 


259 


of  which  are  made  of  one  piece  of  this  wood  nine  feet 
in  diameter.  Tables  of  one  piece  six  and  eight  feet  in 
diameter  are  common. 

Another  very  valuable  bard  wood  is  called  molave. 
It  is  very  hard.  It  is  impervious  to  white  ants  because 
of  a peculiar  acid  in  the  sap.  It  is  also  immune  to  the 
sea  worm,  and  resists  climatic  action  better  than  any  other 


PLOWING  FOR  RICE  WITH  CARABAO  IN  THE  MUD. 

kind  of  native  wood.  For  railway  sleepers  it  outlasts 
iron  or  steel ; for  they  rust  in  this  moist  climate,  while 
molave  seems  beyond  the  reach  of  rot.  or  worm,  or  in- 
sect. It  is  practically  everlasting,  and  is  well  named  by 
the  natives  “Queen  of  the  Woods.”  Molave  is  used  for 
floors  in  expensive  houses.  Planks  of  alternating  light 
and  dark  colors,  sawed  from  two  to  three  feet  in  width, 
planed  and  rubbed  to  a perfect  polish,  and  then  polished 


260  The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 

daily  with  the  juicy  stems  of  fresh  banana-leaves  rubbed 
hard  over  the  surface, — these  make  as  attractive  a floor 
as  can  be  found  in  the  world.  Nothing  in  the  salo>is 
of  Europe  equals  the  finish  of  some  floors  of  molave  that 
can  be  seen  in  Manila.  Some  time  its  merits  will  be 
known  in  the  United  States,  and  then,  instead  of  com- 
manding a price  of  $140  per  thousand  as  at  present,  it 
will  take  rank  with  its  more  aristocratic  neighbor,  ma- 
hogany, and  command  $500  per  thousand. 

Supa,  Tindcilo  and  other  varieties  are  exported  to 
America  for  finishing  woods  in  sleeping  and  parlor  cars, 
and  in  the  homes  of  the  rich.  Several  large  steam-mills, 
with  full  outfits  of  bandsaws  and  planes,  have  been  set 
up  in  Manila  to  work  these  woods,  and  place  them  upon 
the  markets  of  the  world.  Up  to  the  present  the  hopes 
of  the  investors  have  not  been  fully  realized.  The  woods 
are  in  the  forest.  But  there  are  three  difficulties  in  the 
way  of  getting  them  to  the  mills.  First,  the  difficulty 
of  securing  labor — a difficulty  that  confronts  every  form 
of  industry  in  the  Philippines.  Second,  transportation 
is  hard  to  manage.  Where  trees  grow  within  easy 
reach  of  shore-lines,  boats  can  approach  and  load,  by 
means  of  cranes  or  booms  of  long  arms,  that  have  been 
rolled  into  the  sea  or  river.  But  when  the  tree  is  away 
in  the  interior,  there  it  must  remain.  Roads  do  not 
exist.  Third,  the  Forestry  Bureau,  excellent  as  is  its 
work  in  preserving  and  caring  for  the  millions  of  acres 
of  government  forests,  has  hedged  the  cutting  of  timber 
about  with  restrictions,  and  established  rates  of  taxes, 
that  make  the  lot  of  the  timber  merchant  a hard  one. 
Only  a certain  number  of  licenses  to  cut  can  be  issued 
in  a given  province.  Whether  that  license  is  for  one 
or  twenty  men  seems  to  make  no  difference.  Stumpage 
is  reckoned  by  the  cubic  foot  of  the  squared  log,  and 


Resources. 


261 


runs  as  high  as  twenty-two  cents  per  cubic  foot.  If  the 
log  is  measured  in  Manila,  the  money  for  the  depart- 
ment must  be  remitted  to  the  provincial  treasurer  of  the 
portion  of  the  country  from  which  the  logs  come. 
Boundaries  of  provinces  are  not  always  perfectly  clear 
to  woodcutters,  and  the  delay  and  confusion  and  red  tape 
disgust  many  merchants  who  have  excellent  prospects 


A BENGUET  RICE  FIELD,  WITH  VILLAGE. 


of  working  a profitable  timber  business  with  China, 
Japan,  and  the  United  States,  if  only  these  exasperating 
difficulties  could  be  gotten  out  of  the  way.  If  they  could 
import  gangs  of  Chinese  laborers  on  an  agreement  to 
return  them  to  China  within  a specified  time,  it  would  be 
a boon  to  the  poor,  half-starved  Chinaman,  and  enable 
these  companies  to  carry  on  a business  which  would  put 
thousands  of  dollars  into  circulation  in  the  Islands.  But 


262  The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 

the  theorists  and  politicians  in  America  know  all  about 
conditions  they  never  saw,  and  they  decide  against  such 
a proposal  in  the  supposed  interest  of  an  eager  Filipino 
laborer  who  has  no  existence  outside  of  their  imagina- 
tions. The  forest  products  of  the  Philippines  will  be  one 
of  her  richest  resources;  but  American  legislation  and 
the  regulations  of  the  Bureau  in  the  Philippines  must 
be  altered  so  as  to  make  their  development  a possibility. 

India-rubber  of  a low  grade  is  extracted  from  trees 
that  grow  wild  in  Mindanao.  Cultivated  rubber  needs 
a more  evenly-distributed  rainfall  than  is  enjoyed  in 
parts  of  Luzon  and  the  other  larger  islands.  The  govern- 
ment is  spending  money  freely  to  grow  the  Central 
American  rubber  known  as  Caslilao  clast ica.  It  is  be- 
lieved that  it  will  be  wholly  impossible  to  succeed  in 
growing  standard  or  Para  rubber  ( Hevia  Brasiliensis ) 
on  account  of  lack  of  proper  soil  and  moisture.  Flour- 
ishing young  plants  of  the  Central  American  variety  can 
be  seen  at  the  Singalon  experiment  farm,  but  seven  years 
are  needed  before  a yield  of  rubber  can  be  expected.  If 
the  tree  should  find  Philippine  conditions  congenial, 
there  are  untold  millions  to  be  made  in  its  cultivation. 

Coal,  gold,  iron,  copper, — these  arc  the  four  minerals 
known  to  exist  in  the  Philippines. 

The  coal  so  far  discovered  is  not  of  a good  quality. 
But  recent  investigations  in  a province  but  a few  miles 
from  Manila — Bataan — show  better  qualities  at  lower 
levels.  The  Mining  Bureau  has  issued  a report  on  “The 
Coal  Measures  of  the  Philippines,”  which  is  replete  with 
information  as  to  the  petty  efforts  made  under  Spanish 
rule  to  develop  this  industry,  and  as  to  the  possibilities 
of  making  coal-mining  a practical  matter  here.  The 
outlook  is  not  as  encouraging  as  we  might  wish.  Cebu 
has  coal.  Luzon  has  coal.  But  it  is  “young,”  and  does 


Resources. 


263 


not  work  well  in  furnaces  where  it  has  been  tried.  The 
Bataan  reports  of  the  past  few  weeks  are  more  encour- 
aging. 

“Gold  probably  exists  in  all  the  largest  islands  of  the 
Archipelago,  but  in  a dispersed  form.  For  the  fact  is,  that 
after  centuries  of  search,  large  pockets  of  it  have  never 
been  traced  to  defined  localities,  and,  so  far  as  discoveries 
up  to  the  present  moment  demonstrate,  this  colony  can  not 
be  considered  rich  in  auriferous  deposits.” 

Miners  and  men  with  no  mining  experience  are 
camped  in  the  mountain  provinces  of  North  Luzon  hold- 
ing claims  which,  it  is  feared  by  the  best  informed,  will 
never  be  of  value  except  by  tbe  use  of  machinery  too 
expensive  for  installation.  Fuel  can  not  be  had  to  run 
such  machinery,  unless  unexpected  success  should  at- 
tend the  present  investigations  of  coal-fields,  and  even 
then  this  fuel  would  have  to  be  hauled  away  into  the 
mountains,  or  the  ore  and  shale  and  quartz  hauled  to 
the  plains  for  smelting.  It  is  feared  that  many  men  are 
doomed  to  disappointment.  But  prophecy  in  matters 
of  mining  is  dangerous.  Philippine  gold-mines  may  yet 
rival  those  of  Alaska. 

In  Bulacan  province  there  are  mountains  mainly  com- 
posed of  iron,  assaying  up  to  63.31  per  cent  by  rigid 
tests  in  our  own  government  laboratories.  Spanish  as- 
says show  85  per  cent  metallic  iron.  Natives  declare 
that  the  mountain  at  Angat  is  all  iron ! Immense  blocks 
of  hematite  lie  scattered  about  at  the  base  of  the  out- 
cropping of  the  eighteen-fo.ot  vein,  and  so  far  the  “min- 
ing operations”  have  consisted  in  cracking  up  these  blocks 
of  ore  and  smelting  them.  What  depth  the  vein  has 
farther  into  the  mountain  has  not  been  determined.  But 
that  iron  of  an  excellent  quality  is  there,  and  that  it  is 
there  in  large  quantities,  can  scarcely  be  doubted.  If 


264  The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 

coal  can  be  found  near  at  hand,  the  future  of  the  iron 
industry  in  the  Philippines  may  be  regarded  assured. 

Copper  deposits  are  large,  but  remote,  and  not  until 
there  are  railways  into  the  mountains  where  it  is  found 
will  it  be  possible  to  place  the  ore  on  the  market. 

With  the  magnificent  grazing  lands  of  Luzon  and 
Mindanao,  with  abundant  fine  grasses  and  clear  moun- 
tain streams,  the  sixty-five  million  acres  of  arable  land 
held  by  the  government,  and  now  open  for  entry  by 
means  of  homestead  rights  or  purchase ; the  undreamed- 
of extension  of  sugar,  hemp,  copra,  indigo,  cacao,  and 
cocoanut  cultivation ; the  fruits,  the  fisheries,  the  forest 
products,  and  the  resources  of  pearl  fisheries  and  mines 
of  coal  and  iron,  of  gold  and  copper,  and  the  best  tropical 
climate  vet  discovered, — the  Philippine  Islands  have  am- 
ple resources  for  the  maintenance  of  from  twenty  to 
twenty-five  million  people  in  comfort. 


CHAPTER  XV. 


The  Chinese  in  the  Philippines. 

Naturally  the  Philippines  have  attracted  the 
Chinese.  The  climate  is  such  as  all  Southern  China  en- 
joys, with  a few  degrees  of  heat  added.  The  soil  is  fer- 
tile, and  industrial  and  commercial  opportunities  are  to 
be  had  for  the  taking.  China  is  less  than  three  days’  sail 
from  Northern  Luzon  by  good  native  junks.  Her  peo- 
ple stand  so  thickly  on  her  soil  that  it  is  with  difficulty 
that  they  dig  a scanty  living  from  between  their  feet.  It 
would  be  a marvel  if  the  Chinaman  had  not  entered  so 
wide  a door  of  opportunity  as  the  Philippines  have  held 
before  him  from  the  earliest  era  of  reliable  history. 

As  early  as  the  seventh  century  we  have  sure  testi- 
mony of  his  presence.  From  then  until  the  earlier  in- 
vasions, Chinese  invaders  and  traders  held  large  parts  of 
Luzon  in  subjection,  and,  coming  over  from  Formosa  and 
Amov  in  their  pirate  junks  to  harry  the  coast  cities,  they 
would  cast  in  their  lot  with  the  people  of  the  Islands,  marry 
Filipino  women,  and  become  permanent  residents. 

When  Legaspi  took  the  helm  of  Philippine  affairs  in 
1565  he  saw  that  it  was  the  part  of  good  statesmanship 
to  protect  the  Chinamen  whom  he  found  in  various  lines 
of  industry  and  commerce,  and  he  drew  up  regulations 
looking  to  that  end,  which,  for  farseeing  wisdom  and 
sense  of  adaptation  of  legislation  to  conditions  other 
than  those  of  his  own  nation,  might  furnish  matter  to 
be  conned  with  profit  by  some  modern  legislators.  In 

265 


266  The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 

1580  the  Spanish  government  erected  a building  for 
Chinese  traders  in  a quarter  of  Manila  convenient  to 
the  river  and  sea  front.  It  was  called  the  Alcayceria. 
It  was  a square  of  shops,  with  a large  storeroom  at  the 
rear,  and  one  living  room  over  each  little  shop.  This 
was  soon  crowded,  and  the  overflow  of  Chinese  traders 
was  accommodated  farther  in  from  the  bay.  Later  a 
large  Chinese  market  was  erected  for  them,  and  no  Chi- 
nese traders  were  permitted  to  open  shops  for  the  sale 
of  any  goods  outside  of  that  one  market.  Not  until 
i860  was  this  attempt  to  curb  the  irrepressible  commer- 
cial instinct  of  the  Celestial  invaders  given  over  as  im- 
practicable. In  the  face  of  laws  the  most  unequivocal, 
and  in  spite  of  penalties  the  most  terrifying,  as  well  as 
that  subtle  but  powerful  opposition  born  of  race  hatred, 
the  Chinese  spread,  not  only  into  all  parts  of  Manila,  but 
took  up  their  packs  and  small  stocks  and  went  to  large 
provincial  cities,  where  their  fixed  prices,  frugality,  and 
power  of  sustained  industry  soon  gave  them  the  long  end 
of  the  commercial  lever  among  a class  of  merchants  who 
exacted  all  that  was  possible  for  their  inferior  goods,  and 
slept  more  than  half  the  time  behind  closed  doors.  At 
the  close  of  the  sixteenth  century,  Dr.  Antonio  Morga 
testifies  that  it  would  be  impossible  to  do  without  this 
factor  in  the  life  of  the  country.  He  says,  “They  are 
workers  in  all  trades  and  business,  and  are  very  indus- 
trious.” 

The  Chinese  have  been  the  chief  instructors  of  the 
Filipinos  in  those  practical  matters  of  agriculture  and 
trade  which  to-day  form  the  basis  of  the  prosperity  of 
the  Archipelago.  Long  before  the  Spaniard  came  to  the 
islands  they  had  taught  the  growth  of  sugar-cane,  and 
had  put  into  use  rude  machinery  for  expressing  the  juice 
and  making  crude  sugar  on  a large  scale.  The  entire 


The  Chinese  in  the  Philippines. 


267 

hemp  industry,  whether  it  is  viewed  on  the  side  of  pro- 
duction or  placing  in  the  markets  of  the  world,  owes 
its  introduction  to  the  notice  of  the  Filipino  people  to 
the  enterprise  and  industry  of  the  despised  Chinaman. 
The  making  of  cocoanut  oil,  and  the  entire  copra  industry 
would  have  come  to  nothing  commercially  without 
Chinese  capital  and  Chinese  labor  in  the  beginning. 

Foreman  practically  lived  in  the  Philippines  for  fif- 
teen years,  and  his  testimony  is  as  follows : 

“Again,  but  for  the  Chinese  coolie  competition,  con- 
stant labor  from  the  native  would  be  almost  unprocu- 
rable. The  native  day-laborer  would  work  two  or  three 
days,  and  then  suddenly  disappear.  The  active  China- 
man goes  day  after  day  to  his  task  (excepting  only  at 
the  time  of  the  Chinese  New-Year,  in  January  or  Febru- 
ary), and  can  be  depended  upon.  Thus  the  native  is 
pushed  by  alien  competition  to  bestir  himself.  . . . 

Only  a small  minority  of  the  laboring  class  will  put  their 
hands  to  work  without  an  advance  on  their  wages,  and 
men  who  earn  $8  per  month  will  often  demand  as  much 
as  $25  to  $40  advance  without  any  guarantee  what- 
soever. . . . The  Chinese  very  rarely  expect  pay- 

ment until  they  have  given  value  for  it.  Only  the  direst 
necessity  will  make  an  unskilled  native  laborer  continue 
several  weeks  at  work  for  a wage  which  is  only  paid  when 
due.” 

Nevertheless  they  have  always  been  an  unwelcome 
race.  After  Legaspi  had  passed  away,  and  rulers  of  a 
narrower  outlook  came  to  power,  restriction  began  to 
be  invented  and  applied  to  the  coming  of  the  Chinese,  and 
to  their  free  entry  into  industrial  and  commercial  lines. 
This  opposition  at  one  time  reached  to  the  promulgation 
of  a peremptory  order  for  their  total  expulsion.  The 
authorities  knew  that  to  carry  that  decree  out  in  all  liter- 
alness would  call  for  an  army  such  as  Spain  never 
dreamed  of  sending,  and  that  its  enforcement  would  stop 


268  The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 

the  wheels  of  business,  and  throw  the  colony  into  bank- 
ruptcy. Hence  a way  was  found  to  evade  the  execution 
of  so  foolish  an  order.  It  was  gravely  announced  that 
the  archbishop  believed  such  action  would  “prejudice 
public  interests.”  In  a former  chapter  some  details  of 
the  massacres  of  Chinese  were  given.  But  it  was  not 
stated  that  the  Chinese  quarters  in  Manila  were  always 
commanded  by  batteries  in  order  that  at  any  time  the 
hated  alien,  with  his  terrible  industry,  might  be  can- 
nonaded into  subjection,  and  so  that  he  would  at  all 
times  feel  the  precarious  character  of  his  hold  upon  his 
home  and  goods.  To  this  day  this  hatred  exists.  Fili- 
pino drivers  of  public  conveyances  will  go  out  of  their 
way  to  run  down  Chinese  coolies  carrying  their  baskets 
in  the  streets.  I have  seen  the  most  wanton  cases  of 
this  form  of  petty  persecution.  Hardworking  and  un- 
offending men  are  crippled,  and  sometimes  killed  out- 
right, by  the  fury  of  Filipinos  who  will  not  work,  and 
who  are  mad  out  of  measure  with  the  Chinaman  because 
he  will  work. 

Massacres  of  Chinese  have  occurred  at  intervals  since 
early  in  the  seventeenth  century  when  twenty-four  thou- 
sand were  put  to  death  within  a week  ! Again,  in  1639, 
in  Laguna  province,  the  intolerable  exaction  of  the  gov- 
ernor and  a favorite  doctor  drove  the  Chinese  into  rebel- 
lion, and  thousands  were  put  to  death.  An  edict  was 
published  calling  upon  “all  good  Catholics”  to  put  an 
end  to  the  last  Chinaman  in  the  province,  but  happily 
this  was  not  entirely  possible.  The  year  1660  saw  an- 
other bloody  but  futile  attempt  to  drive  this  alien  toiler 
away. 

During  nearly  all  these  years  of  persecution  and  strife 
the  Chinese  kept  gaining  power  in  the  business  world. 
They  adopted  all  kinds  of  expedients  to  curry  favor  with 


A CHINAMAN  GRINDING  HERBS  FOR  A CHINESE 
DOCTOR,  MANILA. 


269 


The  Chinese  in  the  Philippines.  271 

the  Spaniards,  even  going  to  the  length  of  building  and 
keeping  open  houses  for  their  entertainment  when  they 
visited  the  provinces  where  they  were  crushing  cane, 
stripping  hemp,  opening  iron-mines,  or  carrying  on  their 
petty  shops.  But  all  to  no  avail.  Spanish  policy  had 
decreed  that  they  should  suffer,  and  heavy  license  fees, 
excessive  and  vexatious  taxes  were  leveled  at  them  as  a 
community,  bv  officials  who  accepted  their  hospitality ; 
and  a freezing  opposition  to  their  residence  in  the  Islands 
was  met  with  on  all  hands.  In  1829,  Chinese  and  Brit- 
ish alike  were  included  in  a massacre  that  swept  a red 
circle  around  the  bay  from  Manila  to  Cavite.  It  was 
brought  on  by  charges  that  the  cholera  which  had  rav- 
aged the  city  that  year  was  due  to  the  Chinese — to  for- 
eigners generally.  There  may  have  been  some  truth 
in  the  charge  so  far  as  the  Chinese  were  concerned,  inas- 
much as  their  trade  is  chiefly  with  ports  in  Southern 
China  where  cholera  is  never  wholly  stamped  out,  and 
where  filth  and  overcrowding  give  it  easy  foothold. 

Bribes  from  rich  Chinese  merchants  kept  many  offi- 
cials in  ease.  Governor-generals  more  than  one  have 
fattened  on  the  income  derived  from  this  class.  The 
governor-general  would  issue  high-sounding  orders  about 
enforcing  some  severe  rule  or  other  against  the  Chinese, 
and  immediately  a small  horde  of  Celestials  would  make 
advances  to  him  to  ascertain  how  much  would  be  re- 
quired to  hold  the  execution  of  the  oppressive  law  in  abey- 
ance. He  would  assume  an  attitude  of  great  sternness, 
and  indignantly  repel  the  suggestion  that  he  was  open 
to  corrupt  methods  having  for  their  object  the  evasion 
of  law ! The  wily  alien  well  knew  that  this  was  done 
with  an  eye  to  a higher  price  for  conforming  to  his 
wishes,  and  calmly  waited  for  this  simulated  wrath  to 
assume  comprehensible  commercial  form,  and  was  im- 


272  The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 

mediately  ready  with  the  fat  purse  for  which  the  greedy 
official  lusted.  From  governor  to  street  policeman  the 
Chinaman  has  been  a target  for  the  spoilsman  and  cor- 
ruptionist in  his  office.  If  there  were  any  way  of  getting 
at  the  total  spent  by  the  Chinese  in  the  Philippines  for 
that  immunity  from  persecution  which  any  humane  gov- 
ernment should  have  accorded  him  as  a mere  matter  of 
course,  its  magnitude  would  amaze  us. 

The  number  of  Chinese  in  the  Archipelago  can  not 
be  known  at  this  writing.  The  new  census  will  give  the 
number  with  practical  accuracy,  but  that  is  not  to  see  the 
light  for  some  months.  Estimates  based  upon  tax  re- 
ceipts, former  census  returns,  immigration  statistics,  and 
provincial  and  school  statistics  show  that  it  will  not  fall 
far  under  one  hundred  and  twenty  thousand.  These  are 
scattered  very  widely.  Nearly  half  of  them  reside  per- 
manently in  Manila.  The  remainder  are  shopkeepers, 
hemp-buyers,  sugar-shippers,  brokers,  and  petty  dealers 
in  all  parts  of  the  Islands.  Few  Chinese  laborers  are 
to  be  found  outside  Manila  and  other  shipping  points, 
like  Iloilo  or  Cebu.  No  Chinese  engage  in  agriculture, 
or  so  very  few  as  to  reckon  the  race  as  such  completely 
outside  the  limits  of  tillers  of  the  soil.  They  have  never 
dared  to  live  away  from  centers  where  protection  might 
be  had  from  the  wrath  of  an  envious  people.  To  till  the 
soil  would  demand  isolation  from  the  crowd  of  humanity, 
and  a bowie-knife  or  bolo  would  speedily  leave  him  a 
weltering  corpse  beside  his  plow.  As  conditions  settle 
down  under  American  rule,  and  the  inevitable  weakness 
and  inefficiency  of  our  police  system  in  its  earlier  stages 
of  development  are  eliminated,  it  will  be  possible  for  the 
Chinaman  to  till  the  soil,  as  well  as  carry  on  the  garden- 
ing for  which  he  is  already  famous. 

It  is  in  the  role  of  laborer  and  merchant  or  speculator 


This  Chinese  in  the  Fuiui’pinks. 


273 

that  tlic  Chinese  figure  more  largely  in  the  Islands.  It 
has  been  estimated  that  less  than  five  per  cent  of  the 
present  body  of  merchants  were  originally  merchants. 
In  some  form  or  other  they  toiled  for  their  daily  rice. 
When  industry  joined  to  painful  frugality  had  permitted 
the  acquisition  of  savings  sufficient  to  warrant  the  ven- 
ture, the  toiler  has  stepped  into  the  ranks  of  the  trader. 
In  order  to  make  the  necessary  savings  to  accomplish 
this  end,  almost  incredible  toil  and  privation  are  under- 
gone without  a murmur.  Stolidly  and  without  complaint 
he  endures  a severity  of  labor  in  this  tropical  heat  which 
almost  passes  belief.  His  crowded  quarters  would  be 
condemned  as  unfit  for  a pig-sty  in  Europe.  His  food 
is  of  the  coarsest  and  most  scanty ; but  daily  his  little 
hoard  grows,  until  at  last  the  sum  he  had  settled  upon 
as  sufficient  to  start  him  in  the  career  of  a trader  or 
money-changer  has  been  gathered.  And  the  sum  is  not 
necessarily  a large  one.  He  is  quite  content  to  begin  in 
a small  way,  as  a rule.  The  man  who  comes  up  from  the 
masses  usually  begins  bv  buying  junk  from  door  to  door, 
or  stocking  up  with  Canton  linen,  socks,  ribbons,  but- 
tons, thread,  handkerchiefs,  and  other  small  articles  of 
small  value,  but  of  constant  demand,  and  carrying  his 
wares  from  door  to  door,  calling  from  the  street  or  from 
the  opened  doors,  “Want  han’cheef?”  “Want  socks?” 
“Want  buy  Canton  lin'?”  If  dismissed,  he  goes  with  a 
grin  and  a “goo’by”  that  disarm  irritation  at  the  disturb- 
ance of  one’s  work.  If  permitted  to  open  his  stock,  he 
can  be  voluble  in  four  to  six  languages,  and  no  peddler 
is  more  wily  or  tireless  in  pricing  and  showing  what  he 
has  for  sale.  He  usually  asks  twice  or  three  times  the 
price  that  he  will  accept  rather  than  miss  a sale.  This 
is  chiefly  due  to  the  incoming  of  the  Americans,  who 
have  upset  all  prices  wherever  they  have  gone  by  their 
18 


274  The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 

reckless  payment  of  whatever  merchants  might  ask.  They 
love  the  risks  of  business.  With  the  instincts  of  the 
gambler  in  their  very  blood — instincts  which  are  more 
manifest  in  their  people  than  in  any  other  of  the  modern 
world — they  find  the  uncertainties  of  business  a constant 
and  welcome  stimulant. 

In  Manila  business  circles  Chinese  figure  largely. 
Nearly  fifty  per  cent  of  the  goods  that  pass  through  the 
custom-house  go  to  Chinese  merchants.  Some  of  the 
more  intelligent,  those  whose  education  has  been  pursued 
in  Hong-Kong  or  Singapore,  import  directly  from  Europe 
or  America,  and  do  a handsome  business.  They  have 
their  own  Chamber  of  Commerce,  and  the  annual  total 
of  transactions  under  their  leadership  runs  up  into  mil- 
lions of  dollars.  Several  Chinese  are  millionaires,  and 
hundreds  of  merchants  dress  as  richly,  and  ride  in  as 
beautiful  carriages,  drawn  by  as  fine  horses,  as  the  most 
wealthy  Spaniards  or  Filipinos. 

The  Chinese  are  a law-abiding  people.  They  do  not 
want  trouble.  They  want  profits.  In  all  the  troubles 
of  the  past  seven  years  “the  Chinos,”  as  Chinese  are  all 
called,  have  been  strictly  neutral.  They  have  made  good 
money  by  selling  goods  to  whichever  government  was 
in  power.  Our  armies  have  had  no  cause  of  complaint 
against  this  class.  In  fact,  it  is  owing  to  the  fact  that 
the  Chinaman  washed  their  clothes  and  cooked  their  ra- 
tions and  had  his  little  stock  of  goods  where  it  could  be 
of  use,  that  the  soldiers  were  able  to  get  along  in  the 
Philippines  as  well  as  they  did.  The  United  States  has 
nothing  to  fear  from  the  Chinaman  if  he  is  treated  with 
anything  approaching  fairness.  He  will  keep  the  laws. 
He  will  use  his  influence  at  all  times  to  see  that  his  em- 
ployees and  relatives  keep  the  laws. 

A surprising  thing  about  this  large  and  influential 


The  Chinese  in  the  Philippines. 


275 


class  of  the  residents  of  these  islands  is,  that  at  least 
one-half  of  them  are  professedly  Christian.  They  have 
adopted  Christianity  with  a view  to  its  being  in  their 
favor  in  a business  way.  Otherwise  Catholic  trade  passed 
them  entirely  by.  At  least  twenty-five  thousand  Chinese 
in  Manila  are  nominally  Catholics.  The  majority  of 
these  never  go  to  church.  Thousands  of  them  have  never 
had  the  slightest  instruction  in  the  significance  of  their 
new  faith.  It  is  not  really  a faith  with  them  at  all.  It 
is  a business  scheme.  As  one  of  them  told  me  when  I 
asked  him  why  he  desired  baptism,  “ Ncgotio  no  mas;” 
business,  nothing  more.  No  Buddhism,  nor  Taoism,  nor 
Confucianism  can  be  found  among  the  tens  of  thousands 
of  Chinese  in  Manila  and  the  provinces.  They  are  either 
nominally  Christians,  or  so  long  away  from  the  teach- 
ings of  their  ancestral  faiths  that  they  have  but  a shadowy 
memory  of  what  they  were.  These  Christian  Chinamen 
have  furnished  the  friar  rich  spoil.  For  baptism,  a fee 
of  from  $5  to  $100  was  required,  according  to  the  friars’ 
estimate  of  abilitv  to  pay  on  the  part  of  the  candidate. 
As  it  was  purely  a business  proposition  with  the  China- 
man he  put  up  no  opposition,  but  paid  the  price  and  took 
his  certificate,  which  he  prized  above  negotiable  paper, 
and  kept  it  in  his  secret  drawer  or  strong  box.  Mar- 
riages of  Chinese  enriched  friar  coffers  still  more.  Here 
the  limit  to  the  fees  paid,  if  we  may  trust  what  is  common 
talk  among  the  people  best  situated  to  know,  was  the 
caprice  of  the  officiating  friar,  and  besides  the  fee  a 
goodly  provision  of  choice  liquors  was  expected.  Seven 
kinds  of  liquors  were  offered  me  at  one  Chinese  home, 
and  when  I declined,  teetotaler  that  I am,  to  take  any 
of  them,  mine  host  straightway  concluded  that  I was 
either  offended  at  the  small  supply,  or  unable  to  find  the 
kind  I wanted ! He  had  not  been  accustomed,  evidently, 


276  The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 

to  a sort  of  ministry  that  eschewed  strong  drink.  He 
was  not  a drinking  man,  but  supposed  that  all  Christian 
ministers  were ! 

Those  whom  we  have  baptized,  after  careful  sifting 
of  motives  and  pledging  to  prayer  and  public  worship, 
show  an  almost  pathetic  eagerness  for  religious  instruc- 
tion, and  read  any  book  we  put  in  their  way,  buy  any 
books  we  recommend,  and  attend  upon  Divine  worship 
with  a regularity  most  gratifying.  It  is  hard  for  them 
to  see  the  need  of  that  Sabbath  observance  which  is  con- 
sidered a sine  qua  non  of  orthodox  piety  in  older  lands, 
and  in  certain  other  particulars  they  would  give  the  con- 
ventional Christian  worker  of  settled  Christian  lands  a 
shock  now  and  then ; but  it  is  not  because  they  mean  to 
be  wicked,  as  I firmly  believe,  but  partly  because  they 
have  not  been  instructed,  and  partly  because  the  old  Tal- 
mudic tendency  to  “fence”  the  law  is  always  at  work 
in  our  settled  churches,  binding  burdens  too  grievous 
to  be  borne  upon  necks  for  which  Christ  said  “My  yoke 
is  easy.” 

This  community  has  its  own  hospital,  and  carries  it 
on  by  contributions  with  a liberality  that  shames  the 
Americans  in  Manila,  where  a public  hospital  is  a press- 
ing necessity,  but  where  it  has  so  far  proved  impracticable 
even  to  supplement  the  gifts  of  Mrs.  Whitelaw  Reid  and 
other  benevolent  people  in  the  States  to  an  extent  suffi- 
cient to  cover  the  deficiency  between  fees  and  expenses. 
They  also  see  that  no  poor  Chinese  coolie  lacks  a decent 
burial.  They  maintain  a trained  corps  of  men  to  aid 
the  Health  Board  in  enforcing  sanitary  regulations,  as 
well  as  to  protect  small  merchants  from  the  endless  tyran- 
nies and  exactions  of  Filipino  police  and  health  inspect- 
ors. When  the  bill  proposing  to  sell  a monopoly  of  the 
right  “to  import  and  sell  opium  to  Chinese  persons  of 


The  Chinese  in  tiie  Phiupwnes. 


277 


the  full  blood  over  the  age  of  twenty-one”  in  the  Phil- 
ippines was  drafted  by  the  Civil  Commission  during  the 
early  part  of  1903,  the  Chinese  Chamber  of  Commerce 
engaged  a lawyer,  and  set  about  it  to  defeat  the  Bill.  A 
few  of  the  members  added  to  their  other  reasons  for 
desiring  its  defeat  that  of  protecting  them  in  their  im- 
portations of  opium.  This  was  a total  of  five  men  out 
of  more  than  two  hundred  members.  Practically  all  of 
them  believed  that  such  a monopoly  would  result  in 
largely-increased  sales,  which  would  mean  largely-in- 
creased consumption,  and  this,  again,  could  only  mean 
the  degradation  of  the  Chinese  community.  The  Evan- 
gelical Union  had  spoken  out  clearly  against  the  Bill, 
and  the  members  of  the  Chinese  Chamber  of  Commerce 
stood  by  us  in  the  entire  fight,  helping  by  their  sympathy, 
and  in  part  by  their  money,  and  in  every  way  contributing 
to  the  defeat  of  a Bill  fraught  with  mischief  to  all  the 
inhabitants  of  the  Philippines.  Government  officials, 
even  Governor  Taft  himself,  could  not  believe  that  any 
good  could  come  out  of  that  Israel.  They  persisted  in 
believing  that  every  Chinaman  who  opposed  that  Bill 
did  so  for  a selfish  reason.  But  it  was  a joy  to  me  to 
find  on  moving  incognito  among  the  merchants  of  the 
city  for  several  days  before  we  consented  to  let  them 
share  our  fight  (for  we  had  begun  it  before  they  scented 
danger),  such  a storm  of  honest  protest  against  letting 
a monopolist  loose  upon  the  Chinese  community  to  wreck 
it  for  gain ! That  we  were  successful  in  laying  the 
monopoly  Bill  on  the  table  was  in  no  small  part  due  to 
the  public  spirit  of  the  Chinese,  and  their  solicitude  for 
the  welfare  of  their  community.  They  prepared  and 
circulated  a petition  asking  that  the  proposed  Bill  be 
withdrawn.  It  was  signed  by  seven  thousand  in  Manila, 
and  was  onlv  in  circulation  a few  davs.  Governor  Taft 


278  The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 

attempted  to  discredit  the  petition  by  alleging  that  an 
expert  had  discovered  that  one  of  the  names  on  the  peti- 
tion was  that  of  a famous  Chinese  general  who  had  been 
dead  three  hundred  years.  The  governor  should  have 
reflected  that  no  small  number  of  George  Washingtons 
and  U.  S.  Grants  can  be  found  in  almost  any  ward  or 
township  in  our  own  country.  It  was  really  unworthy 
of  so  able  a man,  and  one  who  is  so  fair  in  ordinary  ar- 
gument as  Governor  Taft,  to  avail  himself  of  such  a 
poor  weapon.  Another  charge  he  brought  was, .that  the 
petition  contained  the  name  of  a monkey-god  of  China. 
But  why  not?  Is  he  not  familiar  with  the  custom  of 
placing  infants  under  the  protection  of  idols  by  giving 
them  the  name  of  the  idol  ? The  petition  was  said  to 
contain  the  same  name  several  times.  Again,  why  not? 
Are  our  own  people  quite  free  from  duplicate  names  in 
the  Smith  and  Jones  and  Brown  families?  Would  it 
be  possible  to  secure  a petition  anywhere  signed  by  seven 
thousand  that  did  not  contain  duplicates?  But  in  a 
community  of  Chinese  it  is  easier  still  because  of  their 
system  of  giving  proper  names.  The  fact  is  that  the 
sturdy  good  sense  of  the  mass  of  Manila  Chinese  saw 
in  the  Bill  the  most  serious  menace  to  the  morals  and 
efficiency  of  their  countrymen,  and  rose  to  make  what 
was  perhaps  the  first  protest  that  was  ever  listened  to 
from  them  in  all  the  centuries  of  nominal  Christian  rule. 
The  spectacle  of  thousands  of  Chinese  petitioning  the 
United  States  government  in  the  Philippines  against  the 
enactment  of  opium  monopoly  law  is  one  which  might 
well  drive  its  defendants  to  desperate  shifts  for  answer. 
It  is  earnestly  hoped  that  such  a spectacle  may  never 
again  be  necessary. 

The  Chinese  have  grave  faults.  They  are  inveterate 
gamblers.  While  many  individuals  do  not  gamble,  it 


The  Chinese  in  the  Philippines.  279 

is  true  of  the  mass  that  the  fascination  of  games  of 
chance,  with  the  excitement  of  winning  or  losing  as  an 
incentive,  is  irresistible.  This  habit  in  the  many  pro- 
duces a few  professional  gamblers,  who  are  a curse  to 
any  city  in  which  they  reside.  In  spite  of  rigid  laws 
against  gambling  in  Manila,  Chinese  games  go  on  at 
all  hours,  and  with  such  secrecy  that  detectives  can  with 
difficulty  get  the  scent.  These  resorts  attract  many  who 
lose  their  all  in  a few  nights  of  hazard. 

The  community  as  such  runs  to  secret  societies.  The 
ramifications  of  these  organizations  run  into  all  parts  of 
the  Chinese  community.  There  is  no  way  that  the  Occi- 
dental mind  can  unravel  so  tangled  a skein  as  that  which 
Chinese  fraternal  or  secret  orders  present  to  his  mind. 
The  idea  of  all  of  these  societies  is  that  of  mutual  as- 
sistance and  protection.  It  is  carried  so  far  that  they 
protect  one  another  right  or  wrong.  The  chief  opera- 
tions of  these  organizations  are  found  in  the  business 
world.  By  their  means  every  merchant  is  related  to  and 
sustained  by  the  brotherhood,  and  it  is  almost  impossible 
to  reach  him  by  any  kind  of  pressure.  It  must  be  said 
that,  as  a rule,  the  word  of  a Chinese  merchant  is  as  good 
as  the  bond  of  other  traders ; but  this  wholesale  working 
of  secret  orders  has  effects  of  a baleful  sort  on  the  com- 
munity within  which  it  flourishes.  It  is  at  its  root  re- 
sponsible for  that  stubborn  aloofness  with  which  the 
Chinese  race  stands  off  by  itself,  instead  of  merging  in 
the  life  of  the  people. 

Hoarding  for  its  own  sake  is  common,  and  makes 
the  merchant  who  does  it  a menace  rather  than  a stimulus 
to  the  place  in  which  he  trades.  It  withdraws  capital 
from  useful  channels.  This  hoarding  is  usually  carried 
on  with  a view  to  retirement  to  China  after  years  of 
saving,  and  living  at  ease. 


28o 


The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 


Chinese  are  the  chief  offenders  in  the  adulteration  of 
articles  of  export.  The  Philippine  indigo-trade  has  been 
ruined  by  their  persistent  adulteration  of  that  product. 
Almost  every  article  of  export  has  suffered  in  this  way, 
being  marked  down  in  the  London  market  so  as  to  per- 
mit purchasers  to  pay  for  the  elimination  of  foreign 
matter  and  still  realize  a profit. 

It  is  of  the  first  importance  that  our  government 
should  arrive  at  something  like  a broad  and  far-seeing 
policy  with  regard  to  the  admission  of  Chinese  into  the 
Philippines.  The  application  of  the  Chinese  Exclusion 
Act  to  the  Philippines  en  bloc  was  a grave  blunder.  Tbe 
conditions  of  tbe  two  countries  are  radically  different. 
In  the  United  States  it  might  be  urged  that  Chinese 
labor  came  into  disastrous  competition  with  American 
labor.  Even  there  the  Act  would  never  have  been  forced 
through  had  it  not  been  for  the  exigencies  of  party  poli- 
tics, and  its  passage  and  enforcement  has  hampered 
nearly  every  form  of  industry  in  California  and  adjacent 
States  by  cutting  off  the  only  supply  of  labor  upon  which 
dependence  can  be  placed  for  the  agricultural,  mining, 
and  fruit-raising  industries  of  that  rich  coast.  But  the 
application  of  that  Act  to  a country  where  there  is  no 
supply  of  unskilled  labor  to  suffer  by  the  alleged  compe- 
tition is  an  example  of  the  folly  of  intrusting  delicate 
matters  of  Asiatic  administration  to  inexperienced  lead- 
ers. It  works  needless  hardship  upon  the  entire  Archi- 
pelago, upon  Chinese  laborers,  seeking  honest  employ- 
ment, and  upon  those  who  seek  to  develop  the  vast  re- 
sources of  the  country.  It  defeats,  or  indefinitely  delays, 
the  establishment  of  railways,  the  building  of  roads  and 
bridges,  and  the  general  opening  up  of  the  country. 

The  Filipino  is  not  a laborer.  By  that  I do  not  mean 
to  say  that  he  is  always  lazy  and  unwilling  to  perform 


The  Chinese  in  tiie  Philippines.  281 

any  kind  of  labor.  He  is  not  a day  laborer.  He  will 
never  be  r success  as  “a  gang-man.”  All  his  instincts 
are  against  it.  The  idea  of  toiling  day  after  day  at  the 
same  round  of  tasks  for  money  is  repellent  and  unmean- 
ing to  him.  Conditions  of  life  are  so  easy  that  he  sees 
no  need  of  money  in  any  considerable  amount.  A few 
pesos  satisfy  his  immediate  wants.  All  bis  past  bears 
witness  to  the  impossibility  of  his  keeping  more  than  a 
few  pesos.  If  be  bad  it.  the  tax  monopolist  knew  it,  and 
he  was  straightway  “marked  down”  for  exploitation.  If 
be  invested  it  in  surplus  goods,  land,  or  cattle,  or  in  any 
other  form,  he  was  certain  to  be  a mark  for  the  envy  of 
some  official  or  some  ladrone.  He  lias  learned  his  lesson 
written  in  iron  by  centuries  of  oppression.  It  has  prac- 
tically killed  out  the  instincts  of  acquisition  which  have 
grown  in  races  enjoying  protection  in  the  use  and  enjoy- 
ment of  the  fruits  of  their  labors.  To  become  one  of  a 
gang  of  sweating  men,  and  dig  or  lift  or  saw  or  hammer 
day  after  day  in  the  hot  sun,  controlled  in  his  hours  and 
all  the  details  of  his  labor  by  a “boss,”  and  he  not  always 
gentle  and  considerate,  but  sometimes  violent  and  pro- 
fane,— this  is  to  the  Filipino  slavery,  and  he  will  have 
none  of  it.  Give  him  his  little  plot  of  land,  or  his  fish- 
ing rights,  and  with  his  carabao  or  two,  his  pet  game- 
cock, his  chickens,  and  his  family  about  him,  and  he  is 
content.  It  is  useless  to  fight  against  nature.  Here  is 
where  the  Filipino  is  as  near  an  economic  factor  as  he  is 
at  present  capable  of  becoming — I mean  that  class  of 
the  Filipino  people  who  live  by  their  toil.  And  curiously 
enough  it  is  exactly  at  this  point  that  the  most  urgent 
economic  need  of  the  country  is  found.  Given  a host 
of  small  cultivators,  each  developing  to  a good  degree 
the  possibilities  of  a small  tract  of  land,  and  you  have 
the  conditions  which  will  make  the  Philippine  Islands  a 


282  The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 

garden,  enrich  her  people  and  fill  her  treasuries  to  burst- 
ing with  profits  on  the  exportation  of  those  tropical  pro- 
ductions for  which  the  modern  world  is  calling  with 
ever-increasing  urgency.  To  attempt  to  drive  this  in- 
stinctive cultivator  from  his  little  piece  of  land,  and  make 
a sullen  and  inefficient  laborer  of  him,  will  not  only  be 
utterly  futile,  it  will  be  an  economic  crime.  It  will  put 
him,  in  so  far  as  it  succeeds,  into  the  class  from  which 
come  the  principal  disturbers  of  the  peace  of  Europe  and 
the  United  States,  and  at  the  same  time  withdraw  him 
from  an  occupation  every  tendency  of  which  is  to  make 
him  a contented  member  of  the  social  and  political  body. 

It  should  be  possible  to  provide  for  the  importation 
of  Chinese  laborers  under  time  contracts,  at  the  expiration 
of  which  they  must  be  returned  to  China.  The  entire 
number  so  admitted  could  be  easily  regulated  by  a sys- 
tem of  registration  compulsory  upon  corporations  or  in- 
dividuals making  such  contracts.  Government  could 
keep  its  own  identification  office  for  such  coolies  as  it 
imported  for  public  works.  The  tendency  of  this  system 
would  be  to  exalt  agriculture  and  horticulture  to  the 
place  of  importance  which  they  deserve,  and  to  develop 
by  example  such  labor  possibilities  as  the  Filipino  pos- 
sesses. 

It  would  be  disastrous  to  permit  unrestricted  immi- 
gration. The  population  of  China  is  so  terribly  over- 
crowded, and  opportunities  for  gaining  a bare  livelihood 
are  so  scanty,  that  hordes  of  unskilled  laborers  and  pros- 
pective merchants  would  come  down  upon  the  Philip- 
pines. But  immigration  under  suitable  restrictions  is  a 
necessity  to  the  development  of  the  Islands.  Every  added 
month  of  residence  makes  this  more  clear  to  any  one 
with  good  opportunities  for  personal  observation.  Such 
relief  should  be  granted  in  time  to  make  it  of  use  in  the 


The  Chinese  in  the  Philippines. 


283 


era  of  construction  now  opening.  lie  will  furnish  brawn 
for  railway,  road,  and  bridge  work,  and  the  pay  he  gets 
will  enable  him  to  go  home  independent  for  the  remainder 
of  his  life.  He  will  toil  on  the  erection  of  mills,  the 
openings  of  mines,  and  the  furtherance  of  all  industrial 
and  commercial  interests.  The  resultant  prosperity  will 
be  shared  in  by  the  Filipino  on  his  land,  and  thus  indi- 
rectly the  coming  of  this  patient  human  machine  will 
help  the  very  man  who  is  supposed  to  be  crushed  by  his 
coming. 


MARKET  SCENE  IN  MANILA. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 


The  Friar  Lands. 


In  all  reference  to  the  friars  it  should  be  remembered 
that  the  monastic  orders  are  meant,  and  not  individual 
members  of  those  orders.  By  friar  lands  is  meant  lands 
owned  by  monastic  corporations,  such  as  the  Augustinian, 
Dominican,  or  Recolleto  Orders.  As  has  been  already 
pointed  out,  it  is  impossible  for  a friar  to  hold  property. 
His  legal  identity  becomes  merged  into  his  order  when 
he  takes  its  irrevocable  vows  of  poverty.  Cases  in  which 
this  vow  has  been  violated  are  known,  but  are  not  fre- 
quent ; and  for  the  purposes  of  this  chapter  are  not  con- 
sidered. 

That  much  of  the  lands  of  these  corporations  has  been 
secured  lawfully  can  not  be  questioned.  That  practically 
all  of  it  can  now  be  held  against  any  and  all  claimants, 
however  it  was  originally  secured,  can  not  be  reasonably 
doubted.  In  some  cases,  as  in  that  of  the  hacienda  of 
Itnus,  in  the  province  of  Cavite,  it  seems  tolerably  clear 
that  friar  ownership  was  gradually  asserted  over  a large 
and  immensely  fertile  tract  of  land  by  an  abuse  of  power  in 
connection  with  the  use  of  water  from  a dam  constructed 
on  friar  land,  and  sold  to  farmers  of  near-by  tracts.  The 
story  of  this  dispossession  of  Filipinos  from  their  right- 
ful ownership  is  told  in  full  with  great  circumstantiality 
in  Senate  Document  No.  190,  pages  269-280,  bv  Don 
Felipe  Calderon,  one  of  the  leading  lawyers  of  Manila. 
It  is  a sad  story  of  oppression  and  tyranny.  But  sup- 
posing it  capable  of  confirmation  in  every  detail,  undis- 

284 


Thu  Friar  Lands. 


2*5 

putcd  possession  of  this  land  has  been  enjoyed  for  more 
than  thirty  years.  That  gives  prescriptive  title.  Not 
that  there  have  been  no  complaints  in  the  sense  of  burn- 
ing denunciations  of  the  wrongs  which  tenants  feel  have 
been  done  to  them  and  to  their  predecessors;  but  no  legal 
action  of  any  formal  character  has  been  taken  to  dis- 
possess the  friar  owners  during  more  than  a generation. 

A few  out  of  many  of  hacienda  titles  to  the  validity 
of  which  there  can  be  no  possible  legal  questions,  are 
given  herewith  : 

“A  part  of  the  estates  of  the  Augustinian  Order  rep- 
resented by  ‘Sociedad  Agricola  de  Ultramar,’  are  as 
fellows : 

“Piedad  Hacienda — Poor  Farm,  purchased  January 
29,  1833,  from  Dona  Josefa  Madrigal,  for  25,000  pesos. 

“San  Francisco  de  Malabon.  This  estate  was  bought 
in  several  parcels  from  different  owners  between  August 
26,  1877,  to  December  31,  1877,  at  a total  cost  of  108,000 
pesos,  cash,  and  in  exchange  for  two  other  estates,  May- 
sabang  and  Marcavan,  property  of  the  Augustin  Order. 

“Malinta.  Also  puchased  at  different  times  from  dif- 
ferent persons.  Possession  was  given  on  May  26,  1725, 
and  confirmed  by  a Royal  Resolution  of  the  ‘Audiencia,’ 
dated  February  13,  1734. 

“Dampol  Matamo  and  San  Marcos.  This  estate  was 

purchased  15,  1834,  at  public  auction  for  26,000 

pesos,  and  possession  thereof  given  on  the  27th  day  of 
the  same  month  and  year. 

“Monting-Lupa.  The  greatest  part  was  acquired  by 
purchase  by  Don  Antonio  Quijano  Bustamante,  repre- 
senting the  order,  from  different  natives  in  1665.  The 
parts  of  this  hacienda  called  ‘Mamancat’  and  ‘Butin,’ 
were  bought  by  the  Convent  of  Guadalupe  at  public  auc- 
tion in  1632.  Tala  was  acquired  during  1725,  1726,  and 
I753- 

“Talamban,  in  Cebu.  A gift  made  by  the  conqueror 
of  the  Philippines,  Don  Miguel  Lopez  de  Legaspi,  to  the 
barefooted  Augustin  friars  on  May  28,  1571. 


286  The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 

“Talisay.  Adjudged  to  be  property  of  the  Order  by 
a royal  decision  rendered  in  its  favor  by  the  ‘Audiencia’ 
in  1734;  as  was  also  Minglanilla,  of  Mandaloyang.” 

In  anticipation  of  what  would  possibly  follow  if 
armed  opposition  to  Spain  should  break  out,  the  friars 
took  steps  some  years  before  the  American  occupation  to 
protect  themselves  bv  placing  their  estates  in  the  hands 
of  commercial  companies,  of  whom  the  directors  were 
good  Catholics,  while  they  still  held  control  of  the  estates 
in  the  form  of  shares  in  these  companies.  Governor 
Taft  says  in  his  Report  to  the  President  on  Friar  Lands: 

“Nearly  all  the  immense  agricultural  holdings  have 
been  transferred  by  the  three  orders, — by  the  Domin- 
icans to  a gentleman  named  Andrews ; by  the  Recolletos 
to  an  English  corporation ; and  by  the  Augustinians  to 
another  corporation ; but  these  transfers  do  not  seem 
to  have  been  out-and-out  sales,  but  only  a means  for  man- 
aging the  estates  without  direct  intervention  from  the 
friars  or  for  selling  the  same  when  a proper  price  can  be 
secured.  The  friars  seem  to  remain  the  real  owners.” 

This  was  so  palpable  an  attempt  to  stand  from  under 
the  hatred  and  criticism  of  the  natives,  and  make  it  possi- 
ble to  go  on  securing  rentals  which  angry  tenants  refused 
to  pay  directly  to  the  avowed  agents  of  the  friar,  that 
it  has  little  bearing  on  the  issue  of  selling  those  lands  to 
the  government. 

The  Dominicans  are  doubtless  the  richest  order  in 
the  Islands. 

“Their  Santa  Rosa  and  Binang  estates  consist  of  21,- 
148  acres,  the  annual  rental  of  which  is  $75,888.  This 
estate  includes  the  towns  of  Santa  Rosa,  Cabuyao,  Bi- 
nang, and  Tunisan,  and  is  occupied  by  69,983  inhabitants. 
The  order  has  owned  it  for  fifty-five  years,  and  it  cost 
the  friars  $2,700  Mexican  currency.  Its  present  value  is 
$825,840. 


Tint  Friar  Lands. 


287 


“The  estate  of  Lolomboy  and  Pandi  lias  been  the  prop- 
erty of  the  order  for  two  hundred  and  fifty-eight  years, 
having  been  purchased  in  1642  for  414  Spanish  (gold) 
dollars.  Its  present  value  is  estimated  at  $1,256,280.  It 
includes  the  towns  of  Lolomboy,  Santa  Maria,  Bocaue, 
and  Marilao.  It  consists  of  36,954  acres,  and  its  in- 
habitants number  over  forty  thousand.  The  annual  ren- 
tal is  $45,038. 

"The  estate  of  Naic  is  situated  in  Cavite  Province. 
It  consists  of  20,206  acres,  die  annual  rent  of  which  is 
$26,332.  The  large  and  populous  towns  of  Xaic,  Marig- 
ondong,  Ternate,  and  San  Juan  are  located  within  its 
borders.  It  is  inhabited  bv  39,560  persons.  It  was  pur- 
chased by  the  order  in  1831  for  $25,000,  and  is  now  val- 
ued at  $975,990. 

“The  estate  of  Santa  Cruz  de  Malabon  is  probably  the 
largest  owned  by  an  monastic  order  in  the  Islands,  but 
very  little  of  it  is  under  cultivation.  Forty-two  thousand 
six  hundred  and  twenty-six  acres  are  included  within  its 
borders,  as  are  also  the  towns  of  Santa  Cruz  de  Malabon 
and  Santol.  It  pays  an  annual  rental  of  $26,980,  and  has 
been  owned  by  the  order  for  one  hundred  and  thirty-eight 
years.  It  was  purchased  for  $70,000.  and  is  now  estimated 
to  be  worth  $750,760. 

“The  estate  of  Oriong,  in  Bataan  province,  is  the 
smallest  owned  by  the  Dominicans.  It  consists  of  5,275 
acres,  and  its  annual  rents  aggregate  $13,800.  It  includes 
the  towns  of  Oriong  and  Bibbago.  Ten  thousand  natives 
find  homes  within  its  borders.  The  order  has  owned  it 
for  two  hundred  and  seventy-seven  years,  and  its  present 
value  is  $90,000.’’ 

From  Governor  Taft’s  Report  to  the  President  I 
quote  as  follows : 

“Of  the  four  great  orders,  one,  the  Franciscan,  is  not 
permitted  to  own  property  except  convents  and  schools. 
This  is  not  true  of  the  other  three.  They  own  some  val- 
uable business  property  in  Manila,  and  have  large  amounts 
of  money  to  lend.  But  the  chief  property  of  these  orders 
is  in  agricultural  lands.  The  total  amount  owned  by  the 


288 


The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 


three  orders  in  the  Philippines  is  approximately  403,000 
acres.  Of  this  121,000  acres  is  in  the  province  of  Cavite 
alone.  The  whole  is  distributed  as  follows : 


LUZON  : Province  of — Acres. 

Cavite, 121,747 

Laguna 62,152 

Manila 50,145 

Bulacan, 39,441 

Morong 4,940 


Province  of—  Acres. 

Bataan, 1,000 

Cagayan 49,400 

Island  of  Cebu,  . . 16,413 
Island  Mindoro,  . 58,455 

Total,  ....  403,713 


"The  Augustinians  were  granted  by  the  Spanish  gov- 
ernment a large  estate  in  the  sparsely-settled  province  of 
Cagayan,  in  Northern  Luzon,  in  1880,  with  the  hope 
that  they  would  invest  capital  there,  and  improve  the 
country.  The  Recolletos  acquired  in  the  same  manner 
and  for  the  same  purpose  even  a larger  estate  in  the  wild 
and  unsettled  island  of  Mindoro  in  1894.  With  these 
exceptions,  the  lands  held  by  the  friars  have  been  theirs 
for  more  than  a generation,  and  they  have  owned  most 
of  the  valuable  estates  for  one  or  two  centuries.  In  few 
instances,  it  is  believed,  can  their  ownership  be  successfully 
attacked  in  law,  for  prescription  lias  supplied  any  defect 
which  might  have  been  in  their  original  titles.  This  is 
the  concession  of  Don  Felipe  Calderon,  one  of  the  brightest 
of  the  Filipino  lawyers  and  most  prominent  in  his  opposi- 
tion to  the  friars,  though  he  suggests  that  the  friars  had 
such  power  to  defeat  claims  against  them  under  the  Span- 
ish regime  as  to  furnish  a just  reason  for  suspending  the 
operation  of  prescription. 

“The  suggestion  is,  however,  not  believed  to  be  a 
tenable  one.  Moreover,  no  adverse  claimants  to  agri- 
cultural lands  held  by  the  friars  have  appeared  before 
the  Commission  or  the  courts,  except  certain  tenants  of  an 
estate  lying  near  Calamba  in  the  province  of  Laguna, 
and  the  issue  made  by  them  can  be  readily  settled  in  the 
ordinary  tribunals.  In  tbe  older  provinces  of  Cavite,  La- 
guna, Manila,  and  Bulacan,  the  haciendas  of  the  friars 
were  very  well  cultivated  before  the  war,  and  were  quite 
valuable.  On  some  of  the  estates  large  amounts  of  money 
were  invested  by  the  orders  in  furnishing  proper  irri- 


The  Friar  Lands. 


2S9 


gation  and  other  improvements.  Of  the  total  number  of 
acres  of  all  the  land  held,  the  Dominicans  have  161,953; 
the  Augustinians,  151,742;  and  the  Recolletos,  93,035. 
The  annual  income  of  the  Dominicans  from  their  lands 
before  the  war  was  $211,356  (Mexican).  The  land  was 
rented  on  shares  in  small  holdings.  Leases  were  given 
for  three  years,  and  no  assignment  was  permitted  without 
the  consent  of  the  order.  Tenancy  usually  continued  in 
the  same  family,  and  the  tenant  right  seems,  sometimes, 
to  have  been  considered  valuable.  It  is  understood  for 
the  last  two  years  (now  four)  the  friars  have  not  at- 
tempted to  collect  rents  from  persons  occupying  their 
lands.  On  the  other  hand,  agents  of  the  insurgents, 
claiming  title  to  the  land  by  virtue  of  confiscation  acts  of 
the  so-called  Malolos  government,  have  from  time  to  time 
made  collections  from  the  tenants.”* 

The  first  Philippine  Commission,  of  which  Dr.  Schur- 
man  was  president,  recommended  the  purchase  of  these 
large  agricultural  holdings  from  the  present  friar  owners 
and  their  subsequent  sale  in  small  parcels  to  individuals, 
preference  being  given  to  the  tenants  already  on  the  land, 
and  long  time  being  given  on  the  purchase  at  low  inter- 
est.* This  was  believed  by  that  Commission  to  be  a 
necessity  to  the  establishment  and  maintenance  for  any 
considerable  period  of  a condition  of  public  order.  Friar 
owners  were  so  hated  that  payment  of  taxes  was  resisted, 
communities  always  being  in  an  uproar  when  the  rent 
collectors  of  the  orders  appeared. 

In  the  same  report  the  Civil  Commission  puts  the 
stamp  of  its  approval  on  this  suggestion  : 

‘‘It  would  avoid  some  very  troublesome  agrarian  dis- 
aurbances  between  the  friars  and  their  quondam  tenants 
if  the  insular  government  could  buy  these  large  hacien- 
das of  the  friars  and  sell  them  out  in  small  holdings  to 
the  present  tenants,  who,  forgiven  the  rent  during  the 

• Report,  Part  II,  p.  27.  t Ibid.,  Vol.  I,  p.  131. 

19 


290  The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 

years  of  war,  would  recognize  the  title  of  the  govern- 
ment without  demur,  and  gladly  accept  an  opportunity, 
by  payment  of  the  price  in  small  installments,  to  become 
absolute  owners  of  that  which  they  and  their  ancestors 
have  so  long  cultivated.  With  the  many  other  calls  upon 
the  insular  treasury,  a large  financial  operation  like  this 
could  probably  not  be  conducted  to  a successful  issue 
without  the  aid  of  the  United  States  Government,  either 
by  a direct  loan  or  by  a guarantee  of  bonds  to  be  issued 
for  the  purpose.  The  bonds  or  loan  could  be  met  grad- 
ually from  the  revenues  of  the  Islands,  while  the  pro- 
ceeds of  the  land,  which  would  sell  readily,  could  be 
used  to  constitute  a school  fund.  This  object,  if  de- 
clared, would  make  the  plan  most  popular,  because  the 
desire  for  education  by  the  Filipinos  of  all  tribes  is  very 
strong,  and  gives  encouraging  promise  of  the  future  men- 
tal development  of  a now  uneducated  and  ignorant  people. 
The  provincials  of  the  orders  were  understood,  in  their 
evidence  before  the  Commission  to  intimate  a willingness 
on  the  part  of  the  orders  to  sell  their  agricultural  hold- 
ings if  a satisfactory  price  should  be  paid.  What  such  a 
price  would  be  we  are  unable,  without  further  investiga- 
tion to  state.  If  an  agreement  could  not  be  reached,  it  is 
probable,  though  upon  this  we  wish  to  express  no  defi- 
nite opinion,  that  there  would  be  ground  in  the  circum- 
stances for  a resort  to  condemnation  proceedings.” 

Politicians  are  not  as  familiar  with  the  methods  of 
Rome  as  those  who  have  studied  her  from  a churchly 
standpoint,  and  hence  it  was  that,  in  their  eagerness  to 
come  to  a speedy  and  just  solution  of  this  complicated 
question,  our  political  leaders,  including  President  Roose- 
velt and  Governor  Taft,  conceived  the  idea  of  treating 
directly  with  the  Pope.  If  they  had  read  Church  His- 
tory carefully,  it  would  have  been  apparent  how  hope- 
less such  an  undertaking  must  be.  If  they  had  even 
read  “La  Roma,”  by  Zola,  the  futility  of  the  plan  would 
have  been  plain  before  them.  The  ramifications  of 
“Black  Pope”  and  “White  Pope”  factions  in  the  eccle- 


EVENING 


The  Friar  Lands 


293 


siastical  capital  seem  to  have  been  outside  of  their  ken. 
The  powerful  lobbies,  or  cliques,  of  the  orders  in  Rome 
were  not  reckoned  with.  Papal  consent  to  the  sale  on 
grounds  urged  by  our  government  would  seal  all  anti- 
friar charges  with  the  seal  of  the  Vatican.  How  could 
lie  do  that  with  a hundred  angry  and  powerful  ecclesias- 
tics ready  to  block  every  other  move  he  desired  to  make 
if  lie  consented?  Could  he  give  his  approval  to  the  with- 
drawal of  the  friars?  Never.  He  might  dally  with  the 
proposal  as  a way  of  knitting  up  some  slender  connec- 
tion of  a diplomatic  sort  between  the  capital  of  the  Rom- 
ish Church  and  the  capital  of  the  lusty  young  Republic 
of  the  West.  Consent  to  it  he  simply  dared  not.  No 
one  at  all  familiar  with  Romish  policy  dreamed  that  he 
either  would,  or.  morally  speaking  could. 

Governor  Taft  returned  to  the  Philippines  bv  wav  of 
Rome,  armed  with  introductions  to.  Leo  XIII  from  Pres- 
ident Roosevelt  and  Secretary  John  Hav,  through  his 
cardinal  secretary.  Rampolla,  and  full  instructions  from 
Secretary  of  War  Root. 

Through  the  courtesy  of  Governor  Taft,  I am  able 
to  place  before  the  readers  of  this  work  so  much  of  the 
correspondence  as  passed  between  him  and  Leo  XIII 
as  may  seem  relevant  to  the  friar-land  question.  I am 
not  aware  that  this  correspondence  has  been  made  public 
on  any  wide  scale  up  to  this  time.  In  no  other  way  can 
the  whole  case  be  so  well  seen  from  the  standpoint  held 
by  each  party  as  by  freely  quoting  from  that  correspond- 
ence. I do  so  with  the  single  explanation  that  portions 
starred  as  having  been  omitted  are  not  material  to  the 
one  point  with  which  this  chapter  deals,  but  relates  to 
titles  of  churches,  or  discussions  of  Church  policies,  or  to 
the  control  of  certain  institutions  of  learning  about  the 
ownership  of  which  there  is  room  for  difference  of  opin- 


294  The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 

ion  in  untangling  the  condition  of  affairs  which  existed 
when  Church  and  State  were  either  one,  or  so  intertwined 
as  to  seem  one  to  the  uninitiated.  First  comes  the  letter 
of  introduction  from  Secretary  Hay : 

“Department  of  State, 

“Washington,  May  io,  1902. 

“Most  Eminent  Sir, — 1 take  pleasure  in  presenting 
to  Your  Highness  the  Hon.  William  H.  Taft,  one  of  our 
most  distinguished  citizens,  who  is  at  present,  and  has 
been  for  several  years,  the  civil  governor  of  the  Philippine 
Islands,  which  important  office  he  has  filled  with  great 
intelligence  and  success.  He  is  now  returning  to  the 
Islands  after  a brief  stay  in  this  country.  On  his  way 
he  will  visit  Rome  for  the  purpose  of  reaching,  if  possi- 
ble, a basis  for  the  just  settlement  of  the  many  pending 
questions  to  property  held  in  the  Philippine  Islands  for 
religious  and  charitable  uses.  I beg  to  commend  him 
to  your  confidence  and  kind  consideration,  with  sincere 
hopes  for  the  attainment  of  results  which  shall  promote 
both  the  civil  and  religious  welfare  of  the  people  of  the 
Islands. 

“I  profit  by  the  occasion,  Most  Eminent  Sir,  to  tender 
you  the  assurances  of  my  profound  esteem  and  highest 
consideration.  Your  obedient  servant, 

“(Sgd)  John  Hay. 

“To  His  Eminence  Cardinal  M.  Rampolla  del  Tindaro. 

“Secretary  of  State  to  His  Holiness,  etc.” 

ADDRESS:  TAFT  TO  LEO  XIII. 

“Rome,  Italy,  June  5,  1902, 

“Your  Holiness, — On  my  departure  from  Washing- 
ton, President  Roosevelt  committed  to  my  hands  an  auto- 
graph note  of  personal  greeting  and  eight  bound  volumes 
of  his  literary  works,  to  be  delivered  to  Your  Holiness.  1 
now  have  the  honor  of  complying  with  his  direction. 

“I  desire  next  to  express  my  sense  of  the  personal 
honor  of  this  audience.  I am  not  a member  of  the  Roman 
Catholic  Church  ; hut  one  who  has  marked  the  enlight- 
ened statesmanship  and  limpid  purity  of  character  and 


The  Friar  Lands. 


295 


the  earnest  seeking  for  the  uplifting  of  all  humanity  that 
have  been  the  personal  characteristics  of  the  head  of  the 
Roman  Church  during  the  quarter  century  of  the  present 
pontificate,  can  not  fail,  whatever  his  Church  or  creed,  to 
entertain  the  most  profound  respect  for  Your  Holiness. 

“The  transfer  of  sovereignty  and  all  governmental 
property  rights  and  interests  from  the  Crown  of  Spain  to 
the  United  States  in  the  Philippine  Islands  contained  in 
the  Treaty  of  Paris  was  a transfer  from  a government 
between  which  and  the  Church  of  Rome  there  had  been 
in  those  Islands  the  closest  association  in  property,  re- 
ligion, and  politics,  to  a government  which  by  the  law 
of  its  being  is  absolutely  prevented  from  having  such 
associations  with  any  Church.  To  make  the  transfer 
effectual,  and  at  the  same  time  just,  it  is  obvious  that 
the  proper  line  of  division  must  be  drawn  between  what 
were  really  civil  property  interests  of  the  Crown  of  Spain 
and  what  were  religious  trusts  of  the  Catholic  Church, 
and  that  all  union  of  civil  and  clerical  agencies  for  per- 
formance of  political  functions  must  end.  It  is  said  that 
many  churches  and  conventos  are  on  United  States  land. 
It  is  said  that  rental  is  due  from  the  United  States  for 
occupation  of  churches  and  conventos.  Of  the  very  nice 
questions  thus  arising,  some  might  be  settled,  perhaps, 
after  years  of  litigation  in  the  ordinary  courts  of  jus 
tice,  though  others  could  not  be  disposed  of  in  this  way. 
Especially  is  this  true  of  certain  questions  which  I shall 
now  briefly  state:  The  transfer  of  sovereignty  from 

Spain  to  the  United  States  had  been  preceded  by  two 
revolutions  among  the  Filipino  people  against  Spain.  Pop- 
ular hostility  was  chiefly  manifested  against  the  members 
of  four  religious  orders,  who  had,  in  addition  to  their 
clerical  duties  as  parish  priests,  been  charged  by  the  Span- 
ish government  with  the  performance  of  a burden  of 
local,  political,  and  police  duties,  and  in  the  performance 
had  been  held  responsible  by  the  people  for  the  oppres- 
sion of  which  it  was  said  that  Spain  was  guilty.  Three 
of  these  orders  were  owners  of  large  tracts  of  valuable 
agricultural  lands,  and  in  each  revolution  the  hostility 
toward  the  members  of  the  religious  orders  was,  in  prov- 


296  The  Philippines  and  the  Far  Fast. 

inces  where  land  lay,  agrarian  as  well  as  political.  The 
justice  or  injustice  of  this  hostility  is,  as  I conceive,  aside 
from  the  issue.  It  exists,  and  is  the  result  of  years  of 
peace  and  war.  It  can  not  be  ignored.  The  members  of 
these  orders  have  not  yet  returned  to  their  parishes,  which 
are  being  administered  by  the  native  clergy,  and  they 
have  not  yet  resumed  possession  of  their  lands.  An  at- 
tempt by  them  to  assume  the  rights  of  landlords  or  to 
become  parish  priests  again  will,  it  is  confidently  believed, 
seriously  disturb  the  peace  and  order  of  the  Islands. 

“On  behalf  of  the  Philippine  government,  it  is  pro- 
posed to  buy  the  lands  of  the  religious  orders  with  the 
hope  that  the  funds  thus  furnished  may  lead  to  their  with- 
drawal from  the  Islands,  and,  if  necessary,  a substitution 
therefor  as  parish  priests,  or  other  priests  whose  pres- 
ence would  not  be  dangerous  to  public  order.  It  is  further 
hoped  that  Church  titles,  rentals,  and  prices  may  all  be 
fixed  either  by  arbitration  or  in  a general  compromise. 
Authority  to  purchase  the  agricultural  lands  of  religious 
orders  must  ultimately  come  from  the  Congress  of  the 
United  States,  but  a bill  granting  such  authority  has  been 
favorably  reported  to  both  Houses  of  Congress,  and  there 
is  every  prospect  of  its  passage  before  the  close  of  the 
session,  which  will  probably  end  in  July.  The  bill  leaves 
the  method  of  purchase  to  the  Philippine  government,  so 
that  the  negotiations  concerning  such  a purchase  are  not 
now  premature. 

“We  now  have  in  the  Philippine  Islands  a Christian 
people  of  six  million  souls,  substantially  all  Roman  Cath- 
olics, just  awaiting  the  dawn  of  a new  political  and  busi- 
ness life.  What  a burden  upon  them,  what  a burden  upon 
their  Church  to  which  they  are  devoted,  that  deep-seated 
political  and  agrarian  hostilities  growing  out  of  the 
troubles  of  a previous  regime  should  be  permitted  now 
to  cast  their  shadow  upon  their  religious  and  political 
welfare!  Should  such  questions  be  left  open  to  a con- 
tinued discussion,  with  all  the  unfortunate  heat  likely  to 
be  engendered?  Is  it  not  wise  that  in  a straightforward 
business  method  a basis  for  a general  settlement  and 
compromise  should  be  reached  in  an  amicable  confer- 


The  Friar  Lands. 


297 


ence  between  the  representatives  of  the  head  of  the  Ro- 
man Catholic  Church  and  agents  or  officials  of  the  Phil- 
ippine and  United  States  governments?  In  such  a con- 
ference concessions  and  compromises  may  he  expected 
if  they  do  not  involve  a violation  of  principle,  and  the 
supreme  benefit,  both  to  the  State  and  Church,  of  an 
amicable  settlement  will  make  each  side  bend  to  reach  it. 

“I  do  not  need  to  assure  Your  Holiness  that  the  atti- 
tude of  the  United  States  and  the  Philippine  government 
is  not  one  of  unfriendliness  toward  the  Roman  Catholic 
Church.  The  policy  of  separating  Church  from  State, 
as  required  in  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States,  does 
not  indicate  hostility  to  religion  or  to  the  maintenance  of 
any  Church.  On  the  contrary,  the  founders  of  our  gov- 
ernment were  profoundly  convinced  that  religion  must  be 
upheld  for  the  benefit  of  the  State,  and  that  it  will  be  found 
that  in  the  Lmited  States  the  rights  of  all  Churches,  both 
as  to  property,  administration,  and  practice  of  religion, 
are  observed  and  protected  with  even  more  scrupulous 
care  than  in  some  countries  where  Church  and  State  are 
said  to  be  united.  I venture  to  point  out  the  prosperity  of 
the  Roman  Catholic  Church  in  America  as  indication  that 
it  has  nothing  to  fear  from  the  extension  of  the  same  rule 
over  the  Philippine  Islands.  The  government  of  the 
United  States  treats  all  Churches  and  creeds  alike.  It 
protects  them  all,  but  favors  no  one  against  another.  It  is 
not  engaged  in  proselyting  for  one  Church  or  creed,  and 
any  officer  using  his  office  for  such  a purpose,  directly  or 
indirectly,  ought  to  forfeit  his  office. 

“I  do  not  intend  to  further  weary  Your  Holiness  with 
a detailed  statement  of  the  questions  likely  to  arise  in  the 
conference  now  at  hand.  When  Your  Holiness  shall  refer 
us  to  dignitaries  of  the  Church  authorized  to  enter  upon 
the  negotiation,  the  question  will  then  be  stated  at  length 
as  set  forth  in  instructions  given  to  them  by  my  immediate 
superior,  the  Secretary  of  War. 

“Under  my  instructions,  I am  authorized  to  call  others 
to  my  assistance  as  my  advisers  and  counselors  in  the  nego- 
tiations. I have  asked  the  Right  Rev.  Thomas  O’Gorman, 
Bishop  of  Sioux  Falls,  the  Hon.  James  F.  Smith,  Asso- 
• 


298  The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 

date  Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  Philippines, 
and  Maj.  John  Biddle  Porter,  Judge- Advocate  Depart- 
ment, United  States  Army,  to  assist  me  in  this  way,  and 
with  Your  Holiness’s  permission  I now  present  them. 

“(Signed)  Wm.  H.  Taft.” 

Secretary  Root  handed  Governor  Taft  full  instruction 
as  to  the  nature  of  the  questions  to  be  resolved,  if  possi- 
ble, in  his  conference  with  such  Church  authorities  as 
might  be  proved  to  have  power  to  contract  with  gov- 
ernment for  the  desired  purchase  of  the  lands.  I give 
these  instructions  in  full  though  all  do  not  bear  directly 
upon  the  matter  in  hand. 

“War  Department, 
“Washington,  May  9,  1902. 

“Sir, — It  is  now  apparent  that  Congress  will  not  have 
acted  upon  the  Philippine  Commission’s  recommendations 
regarding  the  purchase  of  friar  lands  before  the  time 
of  your  departure  for  Manila,  which  can  not  be  longer 
delayed.  You  can  not,  therefore,  as  we  had  hoped,  now 
receive  definite  instructions  and  proceed  to  take  such  steps, 
in  the  execution  of  specific  authority  from  Congress,  as 
should  properly  be  taken  before  you  return  to  Manila. 
The  committees  of  both  Houses  have,  however,  reported 
favorably  upon  the  Commission’s  recommendations,  and 
it  appears  probable  that  Congress  will  confirm  their  ac- 
tions. In  view,  therefore,  of  the  critical  situation  of  this 
subject  in  the  Philippines,  and  of  the  apparent  impossi- 
bility of  disposing  of  the  matter  there  by  negotiation  with 
the  friars  themselves,  the  President  does  not  feel  at  liberty 
to  lose  the  opportunity  for  effective  action  afforded  by 
your  presence  in  the  West.  He  wishes  you  to  take  the 
subject  up  tentatively  with  the  ecclesiastical  superiors  who 
must  ultimately  determine  the  friars’  course  of  conduct, 
and  endeavor  to  reach  at  least  a basis  of  negotiations  along 
lines  which  will  be  satisfactory  to  them  and  to  the  Philip- 
pine government,  accompanied  by  a full  understanding 
on  both  sides  of  the  facts  and  the  views  and  purposes  of 
the  parties  to  the  negotiations ; so  that  when  Congress 


The  Friar  Lands. 


299 


shall  have  acted  the  business  may  proceed  to  a conclusion 
without  delay.  You  are  accordingly  authorized,  in  the 
course  of  your  return  journey  to  Manila,  to  visit  Rome, 
and  there  ascertain  what  Church  authorities  have  the 
power  to  negotiate  for  and  determine  upon  a sale  of  the 
lands  of  the  religious  orders  in  the  Philippine  Islands,  and 
if  you  find,  as  we  are  informed,  that  the  officers  of  the 
Church  at  Rome  have  such  power  and  authority,  you  will 
endeavor  to  attain  the  results  above  indicated.  Any  ne- 
gotiations which  you  mav  enter  upon  are  always  subject 
to  granting  of  power  bv  Congress  to  follow  the  negoti- 
ations by  binding  action.  In  any  conferences  and  nego- 
tiations, you  will  bear  in  mind  the  following  propositions, 
which  are  deemed  fundamental,  and  which  should  be  fully 
and  frankly  stated  to  the  other  side  in  the  negotiations: 

“ ( 1 ) One  of  the  controlling  principles  of  our  govern- 
ment is  the  complete  separation  of  Church  and  State,  with 
entire  freedom  of  each  from  any  control  or  interference  by 
the  other.  This  principle  is  imperative  wherever  Amer- 
ican jurisdiction  extends,  and  no  modification  or  shading 
thereof  can  be  subject  of  discussion. 

“(2)  It  is  necessary  now  to  deal  with  the  results  of 
establishing  a government  controlled  by  this  principle  in 
the  Philippine  Islands,  which  have  for  centuries  been  gov- 
erned under  an  entirely  different  system,  with  Church  and 
State  closely  united,  and  having  functions  of  the  one  exer- 
cised by  agents  of  the  other ; where  the  Church  has  long 
controlled  and  acted  virtually  as  the  agent  of  the  State  in 
the  field  of  public  instruction  and  public  charities,  and  has 
from  time  to  time  acquired  large  properties  held  by  it, 
or  by  its  subordinate  corporations  or  officers,  for  these 
public  uses.  A novel  situation  has  been  created,  under 
which  the  adjustment  of  means  to  ends  appropriate  to  the 
former  system  entirely  fails  to  produce  the  intended  result 
under  the  new  system,  and  the  separation  of  Church  and 
State  requires  to  be  followed  by  a readjustment  and  re- 
arrangement in  the  interests  both  of  Church  and  of  State, 
and  for  the  attainment  of  the  great  ends  of  civil  govern- 
ment, of  education,  of  charity,  and  of  religion. 

*‘(3)  By  reason  of  the  separation,  the  religious  orders, 


300  The  Philippines  and  the  Par  Past. 

Dominicans,  Augustinians,  Recollctos,  and  Franciscans, 
can  no  longer  perform  in  behalf  of  the  State  the  duties 
in  relation  to  public  instruction  and  public  charities  for- 
merly resting  upon  them,  and  the  power  which  they  for- 
merly exercised,  through  their  relations  to  the  civil  gov- 
ernment, being  now  withdrawn,  they  find  themselves  the 
objects  of  such  hostility  on  the  part  of  their  tenantry 
against  them  as  landlords,  and  on  the  part  of  the  people 
of  the  parishes  against  them  as  representatives  of  the 
former  government,  that  they  are  no  longer  capable  of 
serving  any  useful  purpose  for  the  Church.  No  rents  can 
be  collected  from  the  populous  communities  occupying 
their  iands  unless  it  be  bv  the  intervention  of  the  civil 
government  with  armed  force.  Speaking  generally,  sev- 
eral years  past  the  friars  of  these  four  orders,  formerly 
installed  over  the  parishes,  have  been  unable  to  remain  at 
their  posts,  and  are  collected  in  Manila  with  the  vain  hope 
of  returning.  They  will  not  voluntarily  be  accepted  again 
by  the  people,  and  can  not  be  restored  to  their  positions 
except  hv  forcible  intervention  on  the  part  of  the  civil 
government,  which  the  principles  of  our  government 
forbid. 

“It  is  manifest  that,  under  these  conditions,  it  is  for 
the  interest  of  the  Church,  as  well  as  of  the  State,  that  the 
landed  proprietorship  of  the  religious  orders  in  the  Philip- 
pine Islands  should  cease,  and  that  if  the  Church  wishes, 
as  of  course  it  does  wish,  to  continue  its  ministration 
among  the  people  of  the  Islands,  and  to  conduct  in  its  own 
behalf  a system  of  instruction  in  the  parishes,  with  which 
we  have  no  desire  to  interfere,  it  should  seek  other  agents 
therefor. 

“(4)  It  is  the  wish  of  our  government,  in  case  Con- 
gress shall  grant  authority,  that  the  titles  of  the  religious 
orders  to  the  large  tracts  of  agricultural  lands  which  they 
now  hold  shall  be  extinguished,  hut  that  full  and  fair 
compensation  shall  he  made  therefor. 

“(5)  Tt  is  not.  however,  deemed  to  he  for  the  interests 
of  the  people  of  the  Philippine  Islands  that,  in  thus  trans- 
forming wholly  unproductive  tracts  of  land  into  money 
capable  of  productive  investment,  a fund  should  thereby 


Tmc  Friar  Lands. 


30 1 


be  created  to  be  used  for  the  attempted  restoration  of  the 
friars  to  the  parishes  from  which  they  are  now  separated. 

“(6)  The  titles  to  the  great  amount  of  Church  lands 
and  buildings  in  the  Islands,  other  than  those  of  the  re- 
ligious orders,  and  now  apparently  owned  bv  the  State, 
should  be  settled  fairly. 

“(7)  Provision  should  be  made  for  ascertaining  what 
rentals,  if  any,  ought  to  be  paid  for  conventos  and  other 
church  buildings  which  have  been  occupied  by  United 
States  troops  during  the  insurrection,  this  being,  of  course, 
subject  to  further  specific  action  by  Congress. 

“(8)  The  rights  and  obligations  remaining  under  the 
various  specific  trusts  for  education  and  charity,  which 
are  now  in  doubt  and  controversy,  ought  to  be  settled  by 
agreement,  if  possible,  rather  than  by  the  slow  and  fre- 
ouentlv  disastrous  processes  of  litigation,  so  that  the 
beneficent  purposes  of  these  foundations  may  not  fail. 

“(9)  Your  errand  will  not  be  in  any  sense  or  degree 
diplomatic  in  its  nature,  but  will  be  purely  a business 
matter  of  negotiation  by  you  as  governor  of  the  Phil- 
ippines for  the  purchase  of  property  from  the  owners 
thereof,  and  the  settlement  of  land  titles,  in  such  a manner 
as  to  contribute  to  the  best  interests  of  the  people  of  the 
Islands. 

“Any  assistance  which  you  may  desire,  whether  on  the 
part  of  officers  of  the  civil  government  or  of  military 
officers,  to  enable  you  to  perform  the  duties  above  de- 
scribed in  a manner  satisfactory  to  yourself  will  be  af- 
forded : but  the  business  is  left  entirely  in  your  hands, 
subject  to  such  action  as  may  be  taken  pursuant  to  law 
upon  your  report.  Verv  Respectfully, 

“(Signed)  Elihu  Root, 

“Secretary  of  War. 

“Hon.  William  H.  Taft, 

“Civil  Governor  of  the  Philippine  Islands, 
“Washington,  D.  C.” 


CHAPTER  XVII. 


The  Friar  Lands.  (Continued.) 

The  Address  of  Governor  Taft  and  the  Instructions 
of  Secretary  Root  were  pondered  deeply  before  a reply 
was  made  to  their  straightforward  statements  of  fact 
and  declarations  of  purpose.  In  the  experience  of  the 
Vatican  it  is  not  likely  that  documents  so  plain — even 
to  the  point  of  brusqueness — had  been  submitted  for  con- 
sideration. In  this  correspondence  there  was  no  dis- 
courtesy, but  a coming  directly  to  the  matter  in  hand 
characteristic  of  the  American  mind.  It  must  have  been 
something  of  a shock  to  the  pope  to  be  plainly  told  that 
the  friars  could  no  longer  serve  either  the  Church  or  the 
State  because  of  their  unacceptability  with  the  people. 
The  open  disavowal  of  any  diplomatic  character  in  the 
errand  of  Governor  Taft,  and  its  reduction  to  the  level 
of  a proposed  real  estate  transaction  between  alleged 
owners  and  a possible  buyer,  must  have  sorely  hurt  the 
papal  hopes.  The  proposal  that  other  agents  than  the 
friars  should  be  furnished  for  the  Philippine  curacies 
must  have  roused  discussions  whose  heat  strikes  up 
through  the  otherwise  cold  document.  An  altogether 
dispassionate  student  of  the  steps  our  government  had 
taken  up  to  this  point  in  the  negotiations  could  hardly 
say  that  our  agents  had  handled  Rome  with  gloves.  Gov- 
ernor Taft’s  opening  remarks  were  complimentary  to  the 
personal  record  of  the  pope.  That  was  to  be  expected. 
When  contrasted  with  the  dark  impurities  and  even 

302 


Tiie  Friar  Lands. 


303 


bloodshed  caused  by  some  popes,  Leo  XIII  lived  an  ex- 
emplary life.  But  there  was  no  “shading”  of  the  vital 
principle  of  the  complete  separation  of  Church  and  State. 
There  was  no  toning  down  of  ugly  facts  as  to  the  rela- 
tion the  friar  is  known  to  hold  in  the  Philippines.  There 
was  no  room  for  any  man,  be  he  Catholic  or  Protestant, 
to  say  that  the  effort  of  Governor  Taft  to  buy  the  lands 
of  the  friars  was  the  entering  wedge  for  future  diplo- 
matic relations  with  the  papacy.  Such  Protestants  as 
think  this,  I must  believe  to  be  unaware  of  the  Instruc- 
tions of  Secretary  Root,  and  the  undeviating  straight- 
forwardness of  Governor  Taft. 

It  is  well  to  contrast  this  open  and  candid  disclosure 
of  plans  and  reasons  with  the  essentially  serpentine 
methods  disclosed  in  the  papal  answer  which  follows. 
The  answer  commits  the  pope  to  nothing  except  delay 
and  evasion.  It  is  an  elaborate  attempt  to  hide  one  or 
two  sound  kernels  of  meaning  in  a bushel  of  compli- 
mentary chaff.  Ilere  it  is,  or  so  much  of  it  as  is  essential 
to  our  purposes : 

“Excellency — After  mature  consideration  of  the  in- 
structions which  Your  Excellency  received  from  Mr. 

the  American  Secretary  of  War  concerning  the  religious 
questions  in  the  Philippine  Islands,  the  Holy  Father  has 
commanded  me  to  address  Your  Excellency  the  accom- 
panying document,  in  which  are  expressed  the  apprecia- 
tions of  the  Holy  See  on  that  subject. 

“With  feelings  of  particular  regard,  I have  the  pleasure 
to  subscribe  myself,  with  the  most  distinguished  con- 
sideration, Your  Excellency’s  most  obedient  servant, 

“M.  Card.  Rampolla.” 

“H.  E.  Mr.  W.  H.  Taft,  Civil  Governor  of  the  Philippine 

Islands. 

“The  decision  of  the  government  of  the  United  States 
of  America  to  send  to  Rome  a Commission  for  the  pur- 


304  The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 

pose  of  treating  with  the  supreme  authority  of  the  Cath- 
olic Church  concerning  various  questions  of  common  in- 
terest about  the  Philippine  Islands  and  of  settling  them 
by  means  of  amicable  accord  has  been  welcomed  by  the 
Holy  See  with  especial  pleasure.  For  if  the  government 
of  the  United  States  has,  by  a wise  and  approved  prin- 
ciple, judged  this  manner  of  direct  understanding  to  be 
preferable  in  order  to  regulate  the  situation  created  for 
a population  of  several  millions  exclusively  Catholic  that 
has  entered  on  the  sphere  of  its  political  dominion,  like- 
wise the  Holy  See  on  its  part  deems  that  this  method  of 
direct  understanding  answers  best  of  all  others  the  recip- 
rocal interest  of  both  parties  ; and  that,  as  at  present,  so 
also  in  the  future,  it  will  be  of  aid  to  the  good  government 
of  those  people.  The  Holy  See,  animated  by  a friendly 
disposition  toward  the  American  government,  has  has- 
tened to  examine  with  benevolent  deference  the  views  and 
wishes  of  said  government  as  set  forth  in  the  instruc- 
tions of  the  Secretary  of  War,  to  the  Civil  Governor  of 
the  Philippine  Islands,  and  does  not  hesitate  to  declare 
that,  saving  the  religious  interests  of  those  people  to  the 
protection  of  which  she  can  never  be  wanting,  it  is  dis- 
posed to  second  them  in  just  measure;  and  it  confides.  . . . 

“ Regarding  the  religious  orders,  of  which  mention 
is  made  in  the  instructions  of  the  Secretary  of  War,  the 
Holy  See  can  not  give  its  adhesion  to  all  the  views  con- 
tained therein  ; nor  does  it  consider  it  opportune  to  enter 
into  a discussion  on  that  point.  Placing  itself  entirely 
on  the  practical  ground  of  the  provisions  required  by  the 
new  situation,  the  Holy  See  admits,  first  of  all,  that  the 
system  obtaining  under  the  Spanish  domination  and  the 
mixing  up  of  the  religious  in  the  civil  administration 
might  have  created  for  them  in  a portion  of  the  people  a 
certain  ill-will.  How  to  eliminate  this  antipathy  the  Holy 
See  has  already  devised  means,  gradually,  by  opportune 
measures  to  recall  the  regulars  to  the  life  proper  to  their 
institutes,  to  devote  themselves  exclusively  to  spiritual 
ministry,  to  abstain  from  any  kind  of  interference  in 
things  appertaining  to  the  civil  authority,  to  consolidate 
mutual  peace  of  life  between  the  people  and  clergy  of  the 


The  Friar  Lands. 


305 


Islands,  to  uphold  the  principle  of  authority,  to  imbue 
the  masses  with  morality,  and  to  make  themselves  the 
instruments  of  civilization  and  social  order.  . . . The 

Holy  See  likewise  recognizes  that,  in  order  to  reconcile 
more  fully  the  feelings  of  the  Filipinos  to  the  religious 
possessing  landed  estates,  the  sale  of  the  same  is  con- 
ducive thereto.  Therefore  it  adheres  in  principle  to  the 
request  made  by  the  American  government  saving  the 
right  of  property  of  the  legitimate  possessor  and  an  esti- 
mate of  the  value  of  the  lands  conformable  with  the  prin- 
ciples of  justice  and  equity.  Considering,  however,  that 
this  is  a complicated  question,  requiring  special  study  of 
the  facts  of  the  case,  and  can  not  be  solved  with  precipi- 
tation, the  Holv  See  declares  it  is  disposed  to  furnish 
the  new  Apostolic  Delegate  who  is  to  be  sent  to  the  Phil- 
ippine Islands  with  necessary  and  opportune  instructions 
in  order  to  treat  amicably  this  affair  in  understanding 
with  the  American  government  and  the  parties  inter- 
ested, and  so  to  arrive  at  fixing  a satisfactory  accord 
whether  on  the  value  of  the  lands  or  the  conditions  of 
sale. 

"Finally,  the  Holy  See  can  not  abstain  from  asking 
the  American  authorities  suitable  provisions  for  relig- 
ious teaching  in  the  public  schools,  especially  the  pri- 
mary: and  that  the  choice  of  teachers  be  made  according 
to  eouitable  principles,  and  principles  such  as  do  not 
wound  the  rights  and  feelings  of  a people  entirely  Cath- 
olic." 

Reply  by  Governor  Taft. 

“Rome,  July  3,  1902. 

“Your  Eminence — I beg  to  acknowledge  receipt  of 
your  favor  of  the  21st  of  June,  No.  70,963,  inclosing  a 
communication  of  the  views  of  the  Holy  See  upon  the 
questions  arising  between  the  Roman  Catholic  Church 
and  the  Philippine  Government,  and  discussed  by  the 
Secretary  of  War  of  the  United  States  in  his  instruc- 
tions to  me,  submitted  through  your  eminence  to  His 
Holiness.  It  is  a source  of  much  gratification  to  note 
that  the  Holy  See  welcomes  with  especial  pleasure  and 
approves  the  coming  of  a representative  of  the  President 
20 


306  The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 

of  the  United  States  to  Rome  for  the  purpose  of  securing 
a direct  understanding  upon  the  questions  mooted ; and 
that  in  general  the  views  of  the  Holy  See  are  in  accord 
with  those  expressed  by  the  Secretary  of  War,  though 
in  one  important  particular,  to-wit,  that  of  the  religious 
orders,  there  seems  to  be  a difference  as  to  the  method 
to  be  adopted  to  meet  a recognized  difficulty.  It  is  further 
observed  in  the  commanication  of  the  Holy  See  that 
many  questions  are  proposed  to  be  referred  to  a new 
Apostolic  Delegate  to  be  sent  to  Manila.  It  is  respect- 
fully suggested  that  in  this  manner  much  of  the  benefit 
of  the  direct  understanding  between  the  Church  and  the 
Philippine  government,  which  is  properly  valued  by  both 
parties,  will  be  lost.  The  only  efficient  method  of  secur- 
ing such  a direct  understanding  would  seem  to  be  the 
making  and  signing  of  a definite  contract  between  the 
parties  or  their  representatives,  which  should  leave  as 
little  as  possible  to  uncertainty  and  future  negotiation, 
and  which  should  determine  the  main  lines  along  which 
harmony  and  co-operation  between  the  State  and  the 
Church  may  be  secured.  The  main  purpose  of  the  pres- 
ent communication  is  to  formulate  such  a contract. 

“An  analysis  of  the  instructions  of  the  Secretary  of 
War  will  show  that  the  purpose  of  the  President  of  the 
United  States  and  of  the  Philippine  government  is  to 
make  an  agreement  with  the  supreme  head  of  the  Church 
under  which  the  former  shall  perform  four  separate  stipu- 
lations in  consideration  of  the  compliance  with  certain 
conditions  by  certain  religious  orders  and  their  members, 
over  whom  the  Holy  See,  it  is  expected,  can  exercise 
control,  and  for  whose  conduct  in  respect  to  such  condi- 
tions it  can  contract. 

“I  accompany  this  letter  with  a form  of  agreement 
proposed  for  signature.  The  Philippine  Government  Bill, 
which  authorizes  the  purchase  of  the  land  of  the  religious 
orders,  has  passed  both  Houses  of  Congress,  and  has 
received  the  approval  of  the  President,  and  is  now  the  law. 

“In  closing  this  communication  I desire  to  refer  to 
the  last  clause  of  the  communication  of  the  Holy  See 
with  respect  to  religious  instruction  in  the  public  schools. 


The  Friar  Lands. 


307 


My  instructions  do  not  permit  me  to  discuss  the  subject, 
but  1 may  properly  refer  your  eminence  to  Section  16  of 
the  General  School  Law  of  the  Philippine  Islands,  a copy 
of  which  I inclose.  [For  Sec.  16,  see  chapter  entitled 
“Educating  a Nation.”] 

“It  is  not  improper  for  me  to  say  that  I have  sub- 
mitted by  cable  the  full  text  of  the  views  of  the  Holy  See, 
as  communicated  by  Your  Eminence  to  me,  and  also  the 
form  of  contract  which  accompanies  this  letter,  and  that 
1 have  been  directed  to  submit  the  proposed  contract  as 
that  which  the  President  of  the  United  States  and  the 
Philippine  Government  desire  in  the  premises. 

“I  avail  myself  of  this  opportunity  to  assure  Your 
Eminence  of  my  most  distinguished  consideration,  and 
to  subscribe  myself, 

“Your  Eminence’s  most  obedient  servant, 

“Wm,  H.  Taft. 

“His  Eminence  Cardinal  M.  Rampolla  del  Tindaro, 

“Secretary  of  State  of  His  Holiness.” 

form  of  agreement. 

“This  agreement  between  Cardinal  Rampolla,  Cardi- 
nal Secretary  of  State  to  His  Holiness  Leo  XIII,  rep- 
resenting His  Holiness,  and  W illiam  Howard  Taft,  Civil 
Governor  of  the  Philippine  Islands,  representing  the 
President  of  the  United  States  and  the  Philippine  Gov- 
ernment, witnesseth  that : 

“First.  The  Philippine  Government  agrees  to  buy 
all  agricultural  lands,  buildings,  irrigation  plants,  and 
other  improvements  thereon,  situate  in  the  Philippine 
Archipelago,  of  the  Dominican,  Augustinian,  and  Recol- 
leto  Orders,  and  to  pay  therefor  a reasonable  and  fair 
price,  to  be  fixed  in  Mexican  dollars  by  a tribunal  of  ar- 
bitration to  be  composed  of  five  members,  two  to  be  ap- 
pointed by  His  Holiness  the  Pope,  two  by  the  Philippine 
Government,  and  the  fifth  to  be  appointed  by  the  Gov- 
ernor-General of  India.  The  tribunal  of  arbitration  shall 
begin  its  sessions  in  Manila  on  the  1st  day  of  January. 
1903.  shall  receive  evidence  on  the  question  of  value  to 
be  adduced  by  the  two  parties  to  the  controversy,  shall 


308  The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 

view  such  of  the  lands  as  the  tribunal  shall  deem  neces- 
sary and  convenient,  and  shall  make  and  certify  an  award 
of  the  value  of  such  lands  to  the  Civil  Governor  of  the 
Philippine  Islands,  and  to  the  Archbishop  of  Manila  or 
the  Apostolic  Delegate  of  His  Holiness.  A majority  of 
the  tribunal  may  make  the  award.  The  lands  to  be  ap- 
praised and  purchased  shall  include  all  the  agricultural 
lands  owned  by  the  three  orders  named,  on  the  ist  day 
of  May,  1898,  in  which  said  orders  or  other  associations, 
subject  to  the  control  of  the  head  of  the  Catholic  Church, 
still  retain  a majority  interest  by  virtue  of  ownership  of 
stock  in  the  company  or  companies  now  holding  title  to 
the  same,  or  by  contract  with  the  individuals  in  whom 
is  now  the  legal  title.  The  expense  of  the  tribunal  of 
arbitration,  including  reasonable  compensation  to  each 
member,  shall  be  paid  bv  the  Philippine  Government. 
The  price  shall  be  paid  in  three  installments — one-third 
cash  within  thirty  days  after  the  certifying  of  the  award 
to  the  Civil  Governor  of  the  Philippines  and  a tender  of 
the  necessary  deeds  of  the  land  to  him ; one-third  in  nine 
months  after  the  date  of  the  first  payment ; and  the  re- 
maining one-third  in  eighteen  months  after  the  date  of 
the  first  payment,  the  deferred  payments  to  bear  43/2 
per  cent  interest  from  the  date  of  the  first  payment.  The 
purchase  money  shall  be  paid  to  the  representative  of 
the  Roman  Catholic  Church  to  be  designated  by  the  pope, 
and  the  receipt  of  such  representative  shall  be  a full  ac- 
quittance to  the  extent  of  the  amount  paid  by  the  Phil- 
ippine Government. 

“Second.  The  Philippine  Government  agrees  to  re- 
lease by  legislative  act  to  the  representatives  of  the  Roman 
Catholic  Church  designated  by  His  Holiness  the  Pope 
all  lands  or  inclosurcs  upon  which  Roman  Catholic 
Churches  or  conventos  now  stand,  which  were  never  by 
deed  or  formal  grant  conveyed  by  Spain  to  the  Roman 
Catholic  Church,  the  same  to  be  held  by  such  representa- 
tives for  the  use  of  the  Roman  Catholics  of  the  parishes 
in  which  such  churches  and  conventos  respectively  stand ; 
without  prejudice,  however,  to  the  title,  if  any,  of  the 


Tub  Friar  Lands. 


3°9 


municipality  in  which  such  church  or  convento  may  stand 
to  such  land,  to  be  asserted  in  ordinary  courts  of  law.  . . . 

“The  foregoing  stipulations  are  made  on  the  following 
conditions : 

“(a)  That  titles  of  the  three  orders  to  the  agricul- 
tural lands  mentioned  in  paragraph  I,  and  of  any  subse- 
quent grantees  thereof,  shall  be  duly  conveyed  by  deeds 
of  usual  and  proper  form  to  the  Philippine  government, 
and  no  part  of  the  purchase  price  shall  be  paid  until  this 
provision  is  complied  with. 

“(b)  That  all  members  of  the  four  religious  orders 
of  Dominicans,  Augustinians,  Recolletos,  and  Francis- 
cans now  in  the  Philippines  shall  withdraw,  one-half 
within  nine  months  after  the  date  of  the  first  payment, 
and  one-half  within  eighteen  months  thereafter,  and 
meantime  they  shall  not  teach,  preach,  do  parish  work,  or 
work  of  inspection  in  the  parishes  of  the  Archipelago ; 
except  that  for  a period  of  two  years  after  the  first  pay- 
ment a sufficient  number  of  such  members  may  remain 
to  conduct  the  schools,  university,  and  conventual 
Churches  now  conducted  by  them,  withdrawing,  how- 
ever, from  the  Islands  at  the  close  of  such  period ; and 
except,  further,  that  any  such  member  who  shall  have 
continuously  discharged  his  duty  as  parish  priest  in  any 
parish  outside  of  Manila,  from  August,  i8q8,  to  the  date 
hereof  may  continue  as  such  and  not  withdraw  from 
the  Islands;  and  that  no  Spanish  members  of  said  four 
orders  shall  hereafter  be  sent  to  the  Islands. 

“(c)  Except  as  provided  in  ( b ) and  in  missionary 
parishes  now  conducted  by  Jesuits,  only  secular  priests 
or  non-Spanish  members  of  religious  orders  whose  pres- 
ence in  the  parishes  will  not  disturb  the  peace  or  order 
thereof,  shall  be  appointed  as  parish  priests.  The  term 
‘secular  priests’  as  used  in  this  paragraph  shall  not  in- 
clude secularized  Spanish  members  of  religious  orders. 

“His  Holiness  on  his  part  hereby  agrees  to  the  stipu- 
lations and  conditions  hereinbefore  set  forth,  and  con- 
tracts that  the  four  religious  orders  herein  named,  and 
their  members,  shall  comply  with  the  stipulations  and 
conditions  on  their  part  to  be  performed.” 


3io 


The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 


RAMPOLLA  TO  TAFT. 

“Rome,  July  9,  1902. 

“Mr.  the  Governor-General, — I have"  the  honor  to 
acknowledge  the  receipt  of  the  letter  which  you  were 
kind  enough  to  address  to  me  on  the  third  of  this  month 
with  a scheme  of  agreement  which  the  American  gov- 
ernment would  desire  to  arrange  with  the  Holy  See,  to 
regulate,  in  the  Philippine  Archipelago,  the  situation  on 
certain  points  which  touch  the  Catholic  Church.  I hasten 
to  thank  you  for  the  two  documents,  and  in  my  turn  I 
permit  myself  to  transmit  to  you  inclosed  a counter  project 
which  expresses  the  intentions  and  point  of  view  of  the 
Holy  See  on  these  same  points,  and  in  adding  to  it  in 
this  letter  certain  explanations. 

“By  the  simple  reading  of  the  counter  project  you 
may,  Mr.  Governor-General,  observe  that  on  the  econom- 
ical points  of  view  the  Holy  See  accords  almost  entirely 
with  those  of  the  American  and  Philippine  governments. 
The  modifications  which  have  been  introduced,  and 
which  you  will  observe,  only  complete  and  make  more 
precise,  it  seems  to  me,  the  text  of  the  convention.  If. 
in  your  opinion,  anv  point  may  be  made  still  more  clear 
I should  be  happy  to  consider  your  views.  The  principal 
difference  between  the  two  projects  is  in  relation  to  the 
religious  of  Spanish  nationality  in  the  Archipelago.  The 
Holy  See  finds  it  impossible  to  admit  that  which  is  pro- 
posed under  the  letters  ( b ) and  ( c ) at  the  end  of  the 
project.  To  begin  with,  the  Holy  See  can  not  admit  that 
there  is  a connection  between  the  stipulations  of  the  first 
articles  of  the  convention  and  the  measures  which  it  (the 
Holy  See)  proposes  to  take  in  order  to  co-operate  in  the 
pacification  of  the  Archipelago.  In  reality  these  measures 
are  part  of  the  mission  of  the  Church  in  the  world,  and 
are  independent  of  the  solution  of  economic  questions. 
This  solution  must  be  inspired  solely  by  the  principles 
of  natural  justice. 

“If  we  now  pass  to  an  examination  of  the  difficulty 
itself,  it  is  very  easy  to  prove  that  the  Holy  See  can  not 
accept  the  proposition  of  the  Philippine  government  to 
recall  from  the  Archipelago  in  a fixed  time  all  the  relig- 


The  Friar  Lands. 


31 : 

ious  of  Spanish  nationality,  Dominicans,  Franciscans, 
Augustinians,  Recolletos,  and  to  prevent  their  return  in 
the  future.  In  effect  such  a measure,  not  justified  by  a 
reason  of  force  majeurc,  would  be  contrary  to  the  posi- 
tive right  guaranteed  by  the  Treaty  of  Paris,  and  would 
consequently  put  the  Holy  See  in  conflict  with  Spain, 
who  would  have  every  reason  to  protest.  Much  more, 
such  a measure  would  be  in  the  eyes  of  the  Filipinos  and 
of  the  entire  Catholic  world,  the  explicit  confirmation  of 
all  the  accusations  brought  against  the  said  religious  by 
their  enemies,  accusations  of  which  the  falsity,  or  at  least 
the  evident  exaggerations,  can  not  be  disputed.  Finally, 
if  the  American  government,  respecting  as  it  does  indi- 
vidual rights,  does  not  dare  interdict  the  Philippine  soil 
to  the  Spanish  religious  of  the  four  orders  above  men- 
tioned, how  could  the  pope  do  it — he,  the  common 
father  of  all,  the  support  and  born  defender  of  the  re- 
ligious? On  the  other  hand,  without  having  recourse  to 
this  violent  and  extremely  odious  measure,  the  means 
which  the  Holy  See  counts  upon  taking  are  sufficient  to 
set  aside  any  fear  or  any  preoccupation.  The  number  of 
the  Spanish  religious  remaining  in  the  Archipelago  has 
been  much  diminished,  and,  as  I had  the  honor  to  sav 
to  you,  Mr.  Governor-General,  in  my  memorial  of  the 
2 1 st  of  June,  the  Holy  See  will  try  to  introduce  therein 
religious  of  other  nationalities,  and  particularly,  as  much 
as  possible,  of  the  United  States  of  America,  and  to  con- 
fide to  them  the  parochial  ministry  as  soon  as  they  shall 
be  sufficiently  instructed  in  the  language  of  the  country. 
Besides  the  representative  of  the  Holy  See  will  carefully 
see  that  all  the  religious,  of  no  matter  what  nationality, 
order,  or  congregation,  consecrate  themselves  exclusively 
to  their  spiritual  work,  without  inserting  themselves  in 
any  way  in  political  questions,  and  in  abstaining  from 
any  opposition  to  the  established  power.  This  result  will 
be  all  the  more  easy  to  attain  since  the  resources  of  the 
religious  will  remain  under  the  control  of  the  supreme 
authority,  to  be  devoted  also  to  the  spiritual  needs  of  the 
Church  in  the  Archipelago ; besides  which  the  represen- 
tative of  the  Holy  See,  in  accord  with  the  diocesan  au- 


312  The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 

thorities,  will  not  permit  the  return  of  the  Spanish  relig- 
ious of  the  above-named  orders  in  the  parishes  where 
their  presence  would  provoke  troubles  or  disorders ; that 
if,  in  such  and  such  parishes,  the  totality  or  the  great 
majority  of  the  population  desiring  the  return  of  the 
religious,  certain  disturbers  should  seek  to  create  obsta- 
cles and  difficulties,  the  Holy  See  again  expresses  its 
confidence  that  the  American  authorities  will  know  how, 
by  the  ordinary  means  of  justice,  to  protect  the  rights 
of  the  religious  and  the  will  of  the  population.  Finally, 
not  to  retard  the  execution  of  this  convention,  the  Holy 
Father  consents  that  the  school  question  in  the  Philip- 
pines be  not  insisted  upon  for  the  moment,  but  His  Holi- 
ness hopes  that  his  representative  in  the  Archipelago  may 
have  an  understanding  with  you,  Mr.  the  Governor-Gen- 
eral, on  this  point  of  an  importance  so  capital  in  a coun- 
try almost  exclusively  Catholic.  Please  accept,  Mr.  the 
Governor-General,  the  assurance  of  my  high  considera- 
tion, with  which  I am  of  your  excellency,  the  very  de- 
voted servant.  M.  Card.  Rampolla.” 

The  Counter  Proposal  offered  by  Rampolla  for  the 
pope  follows  that  of  Governor  Taft,  except  as  to  the  re- 
tirement and  permanent  exclusion  of  Spanish  friars. 
Some  clauses  are  given  a more  unequivocal  meaning,  but 
in  the  main  it  is  the  same  agreement,  with  the  essential 
modifications  named. 

The  text  of  the  cardinal’s  letter  and  Counter  Proposal 
was  cabled  to  Washington,  and  the  Secretary  of  War 
cabled  a reply  which  was  forwarded  to  the  pope  on  the 
15th  of  July.  From  this  reply  I take  but  little,  as  it  is 
in  the  main  a restatement  of  matters  at  issue. 

. . Such  voluntary  withdrawal  [of  the  friars! 

can  not  be  considered  a violation  of  any  rights  under  the 
Treaty  of  Paris,  or  otherwise,  or  any  reflection  either 
upon  the  nation  or  upon  the  orders  to  which  the  persons 
withdrawing  happen  to  belong.  The  reasons  making 
such  a withdrawal  desirable  are  not  religious  or  racial. 


The  Friar  Lands. 


3 1 3 


but  arise  from  the  political  and  social  relations  which 
existed  under  the  former  government,  and  which  have 
created  personal  antipathies  menacing  to  the  peace  and 
order  of  the  community.  Such  a voluntary  withdrawal 
would  not  involve  any  confirmation  of  any  accusations 
against  the  persons  withdrawing  or  the  orders  to  which 
they  belong;  it  is  to  be  observed  that  we  have  made  no 
accusations.  It  would  simply  recognize  the  existence 
of  the  conditions  which  for  several  years  past  have  been, 
and  now  are,  preventing  these  particular  agents  from 
serving  the  Church  in  the  stations  to  which  they  were 
assigned,  and  which  would  make  their  re-employment 
injurious  to  the  community.  In  this  matter  the  United 
States  representatives  in  the  Philippines  are  merely  en- 
deavoring to  meet  the  wishes,  as  well  as  the  needs,  of 
the  Philippine  people.  It  is  not  the  United  States  gov- 
ernment which  objects  to  the  presence  of  the  friars;  it  is 
the  Catholic  population  of  the  Philippine  Islands.  The 
lay  Catholic  population  and  the  parish  priests  of  native 
and  non-Spanish  blood  are  practically  a unit  in  desiring 
both  to  expel  the  friars  and  to  confiscate  their  lands  out 
of  hand.  . . . It  is  the  desire  to  accomplish  the  re- 

moval of  this  cause  of  disturbance  and  discord  that  has 
led  me  to  approve  that  clause  of  your  proposal  which 
would  involve  the  government  of  the  Philippines  in  a 
large  and  undefined  obligation  for  the  purchase  of  lands 
in  advance  of  a specific  ascertainment  of  their  values  and 
of  the  estimated  prices  which  we  can  reasonably  expect 
to  receive  from  them,  when  we  in  turn  ofTer  them  for  sale.” 

Then  follows  a lengthy  statement  of  how  negotiations 
which  had  come  to  a practical  standstill  in  Rome  were  to 
be  reopened  in  Manila  between  Governor  Taft  and  the 
Apostolic  Delegate  whose  appointment  was  intimated 
in  the  first  papal  communication.  Lists  of  properties  to 
be  sold  were  to  be  carefully  made  up,  and  measurements, 
titles  of  churches  and  conventos  not  formally  deeded  to 
the  Catholic  Church,  were  to  be  made  ready  for  legisla- 
tive action,  prices  agreed  upon,  and  in  general  all  possible 


3H  The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 

preparation  made  for  the  adjustment  which  the  Secre- 
tary of  War  still  hoped  might  be  made. 

In  the  letter  transmitting  this  communication  from 
his  immediate  superior,  Governor  Taft  says : 

“I  much  regret  that  we  can  not  now  reach  a more 
precise  agreement  under  which  less  should  be  left  to 
future  adjustment;  but  I venture  to  concur  in  the  ex- 
pression of  satisfaction  by  the  Secretary  that  we  have 
reached  a general  basis  for  solution  of  so  many  of  the 
questions  awaiting  settlement  in  the  Philippines  between 
the  Church  and  State.” 

In  his  reply,  which  was  his  final  communication,  Car- 
dinal Rampolla  says  that  “the  declarations  of  the  Secre- 
tary of  War  do  honor  to  the  deep  political  wisdom  of  the 
government  of  the  United  States,  which  knows  how  to 
appreciate  the  happy  influence  of  the  Holy  See  for  the 
religious  and  civil  elevation  of  peoples,  especially  Cath- 
olic peoples.”  Where  he  gleaned  this  hopeful  crumb  is 
not  clear  even  on  a careful  re-reading  of  every  line  of 
Secretary  Root’s  carefully-worded  message.  He  prom- 
ises that  the  pope  will  soon  dispatch  the  promised  Apos- 
tolic Delegate,  and  closes  with  the  following  honeyed 
phrases : 

“The  Holy  See  does  not  doubt  that  the  mutual  con- 
fidence and  the  combined  action  of  the  representatives  of 
the  Holy  See  and  the  American  government  will  easily 
produce  a happy  solution  of  the  pending  questions  and 
inaugurate  for  that  noble  country  a new  era  of  peace  and 
progress.  It  is  to  me,  Mr.  the  Governor-General,  an 
agreeable  duty  to  be  able,  in  ending  this  letter,  to  render 
homage  to  the  very  great  courtesy  and  high  capacity  with 
which  you  have  filled  the  delicate  mission  that  the  gov- 
ernment and  the  President  of  the  United  States  has  con- 
fided to  you,  and  willingly  do  I add  that  the  favorable 
result  of  the  negotiations  must  be  attributed  in  very  large 


The  Friar  Lands. 


3i5 


part  to  your  high  personal  qualities.  While  flattering 
myself  with  the  hope  that  this  first  success  will  be  a guar- 
antee for  the  happy  issue  of  the  ulterior  negotiations  in 
Manila,  1 have  the  honor  to  renew  the  homage  of  the 
high  consideration  with  which  1 am  of  Your  Excellency, 
the  most  devoted  servant,  M.  Card.  Rampolla.” 

Governor  Taft  then  asks  permission  to  take  his  formal 
farewell,  the  audience  of  conge  is  held  and  the  theater 
of  this  real  estate  conflict  shifts  to  Manila. 

According  to  the  agreement  made  by  the  pope,  an 
Apostolic  Delegate  with  full  power  to  carry  on  the  busi- 
ness was  soon  appointed  and  on  his  way  to  Manila.  The 
lot  fell  on  Mgr.  Guidi,  an  Italian  priest  of  long  experi- 
ence in  matters  of  weight  in  Romish  circles.  On  his 
arrival  the  work  of  compiling  lists  of  agricultural  hold- 
ings to  be  sold,  securing  exact  measurements  of  the  same, 
and  fixing  prices,  was  immediately  begun.  After  long 
delays  the  first  proposition  of  the  delegate  was  ready, 
and  came  before  Governor  Taft.  The  result  confirmed 
persistent  rumors  which  had  gone  before  its  completion. 
The  price  asked  by  the  friars  was  impossible.  Instead 
of  coming  approximately  near  the  $5,000,000  which  was 
first  considered  by  the  Commission  as  ample  compensa- 
tion for  these  unproductive  properties,  the  delegate  de- 
manded over  $12,000,000!  The  Philippine  government 
refused  to  consider  any  such  a proposition  and  requested 
that  the  estates  be  more  justly  valued.  After  some 
months  the  price  had  been  whittled  down  to  nearly  $11,- 
000,000.  But  that  was  still  completely  out  of  range  of 
possibilities,  and  further  cutting  was  asked  for. 

Governor  Taft  consulted  with  the  War  Department, 
and  finally  came  up  to  a final  offer  of  $7,000,000  on  con- 
dition of  securing  good  titles  to  all  the  agricultural  hold- 
ings, and  without  insisting  on  the  removal  of  the  friars 


316  The;  Philippines  and  the  Par  East. 

still  in  the  Archipelago.  This  was  met  by  an  offer  of 
$9,000,000. 

Opposition  to  the  purchase  developed  meanwhile.  In 
both  official  and  unofficial  circles  it  was  said  that  even 
the  last  offer  of  government  was  too  high.  That  made 
a straight  price  of  about  $18  per  acre  for  unproductive 
farm  properties,  thousands  of  acres  of  which  were  in 
the  heart  of  Mindoro  where  fever  and  lack  of  communi- 
cation with  markets  made  values  low.  During  two  in- 
surrections and  the  stormy  period  which  has  intervened 
since  1898  great  damage  has  been  done  to  machinery  and 
improvements.  Buildings  have  been  burned.  Irrigation 
works  have  been  either  wantonly  wrecked,  or  allowed  to 
become  choked  with  earth  and  wild  grasses.  Fields  have 
grown  up  to  weeds  and  depreciation  of  values  has  gone 
on  in  nearly  all  directions.  And  while  some  of  the  land, 
taken  with  all  its  deterioration,  will  bring  $100  per  acre, 
it  is  extremely  doubtful  if  an  average  of  $18  can  be  real- 
ized for  the  entire  403,000  acres. 

When  the  expense  of  administration  by  a Government 
Bureau  is  added  to  this  cost  price,  business  men  think  it 
is  still  more  questionable  if  so  large  a figure  as  $7,000,000 
is  justifiable.  The  lands  must  be  accurately  surveyed. 
Plats  must  be  made.  Sales  on  long  time  at  low  interest 
involve  a multiplication  of  deeds,  and  other  legal  papers 
that  will  call  for  a large  executive  and  clerical  addition  to 
the  present  Land  Bureau.  This  expense  will  go  on  during 
the  life  of  the  contracts  of  purchase,  and,  with  the  dilatory 
methods  prevailing  “east  of  Suez,”  it  will  be  a long  term 
of  years  before  this  expense  can  be  cut  off. 

If  the  friars  are  not  to  be  canceled  out  of  the  equation 
set  for  the  Commission  to  resolve,  many  ask  where  is  the 
government  to  come  in  ? It  was  one  of  the  conditions  of 
the  purchase  originally,  and  one  which  was  deemed  of 


Tiir  Friar  Lands. 


3i7 


the  utmost  importance,  that  these  troublers  of  the  relig- 
ious and  political  welfare  of  the  Filipino  people  should  be 
withdrawn  from  the  scene  of  their  tyrannies.  Objectors 
urged  the  practical  failure  of  any  possible  agreement  to 
purchase  their  lands  if  they  remained.  Two  difficulties 
were  feared, — first,  that  they  would  invest  this  large  sum 
of  money  in  enterprises  likely  to  cause  equal  irritation ; 
and,  second,  that  their  presence  in  large  numbers  would 
do  all  those  things  which  these  negotiations  were  begun 
to  prevent — keep  the  people  stirred  up  to  revolt  in  those 
provinces  in  which  their  parishes  lie. 

But  suddenly,  after  hope  of  a successful  termination 
of  the  slow  negotiations  had  been  abandoned  in  many 
quarters,  the  sale  was  actually  made.  On  the  19th  of  De- 
cember, less  than  a week  before  the  departure  of  Governor 
Taft,  the  following  cablegram  was  received  in  Manila : 

“Washington,  December  18,  1903. 

“The  War  Department,  with  the  approval  of  the 
President,  has  accepted,  on  behalf  of  the  LTnited  States 
Government,  the  agreement  entered  into  between  tbe 
Philippine  Government  and  the  Vatican,  through  Mon- 
signor Guidi,  Apostolic  Delegate,  to  purchase  the  friar 
lands  for  $7.237,000 !” 

Great  excitement  prevailed  in  Manila.  Papers  came 
out  with  extended  accounts  of  the  affair.  Officials  ap- 
peared relieved  as  from  a long  strain.  Catholics  looked 
happy.  Filipinos  rejoiced  openly  and  hilariously  that  the 
immense  landed  estates  of  their  oppressors  were  in  the 
hands  of  a government  in  the  benevolence  of  whose  pur- 
poses their  leaders  implicitly  trust.  Even  the  objectors 
felt  that  there  was  much  to  say  in  favor  of  the  very  pur- 
chase against  which  they  could  see  some  valid  reasons. 
It  demonstrated  again  that,  as  a people,  we  have  a way 
of  doing  what  we  set  out  to  do.  It  assured  Filipinos  that 


318  The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 

we  were  honest  in  our  purpose  to  rid  them  of  their  ancient 
enemies.  It  made  possible  the  transformation  of  a large 
class  of  discontented  and  irritable  tenants  into  a class  of 
contented  proprietors.  It  canceled  the  friar  out  as  a dis- 
turbing factor  in  the  economic  future  of  the  country. 

The  chief  objections  to  the  consummation  of  the  deal 
which  are  still  to  be  urged  are  the  amount  of  money  paid, 
and  the  failure  of  government  to  secure  the  removal  of 
the  friars.  What  of  these  reasons?  Should  they  have 
prevented  the  purchase? 

In  my  opinion,  they  should  not.  The  United  States 
is  not  bound  to  clear  any  money  on  this  transaction.  It 
was  not  begun  as  one  that  gave  promise  of  being  a good 
investment  of  money.  If  a million  or  more  of  money 
is  lost  in  this  transformation  of  discontented  tenants  into 
small  proprietors,  with  all  possible  reasons  to  be  happy 
and  law-abiding  people,  the  country  can  well  afford  to 
contemplate  the  money  side  of  the  transaction  with  entire 
complacence.  The  end  to  be  attained  is  not  profit,  but 
tranquillity.  Tranquillity  is  ultimately  worth  money,  and 
is  worth  more  than  money.  But  to  many  the  matter  of  the 
failure  to  rid  the  land  of  the  friars  is  a more  serious  mat- 
ter. That  seems  to  them  a fly  in  the  ointment,  whose 
presence  entirely  destroys  its  value.  They  want  the  friars 
withdrawn.  What  of  this  objection  ? First,  as  has  been 
said,  it  was  an  impossible  thing  to  hope  for  from  the  first, 
that  the  pope  would  recall  them,  and  equally  impracticable 
that  a government  like  ours,  with  a Catholic  vote  to  be 
considered,  should  insist  upon  their  deportation.  Politics, 
whether  ecclesiastical  or  party,  are  solid  facts  of  this 
world,  and  as  the  pope  is  so  hedged  up  by  the  lines  which 
contending  factions  throw  about  him  that  he  can  not  do 
what  he  might  in  theory  be  able  to  do,  so  administrations 
are  not  wont  to  commit  political  suicide  with  open  eyes. 


The  Friar  Lands. 


3*9 


He  who  expected  either  the  Vatican  or  Washington  au- 
thorities to  take  the  bull  by  the  horns  in  this  matter  was 
unfamiliar  with  political  currents — the  sweep  and  power 
of  them,  whether  in  Church  or  State. 

This  point  was  insisted  upon  until  it  became  apparent 
to  Governor  Taft  that  the  removal  of  the  Spanish  friars 
was  largely  accomplished,  and  in  process  of  entire  accom- 
plishment. When  the  American  fleet  sunk  the  ships  of 
Spain  in  Manila  Hay  there  were  1,108  Spanish  friars  or 
monks  in  the  Philippine  Islands.  By  death,  and  by  the 
retirement  of  many  of  them  to  Spain  and  other  Catholic 
countries,  there  were  but  456  left  in  the  entire  Archipelago 
when  Governor  Taft  sailed  for  the  United  States  in  De- 
cember of  1901.  On  the  first  of  December  of  1903,  in  the 
official  figures  prepared  for  Governor  Taft  by  the  heads 
of  the  various  orders  at  the  command  of  the  Apostolic 
Delegate,  this  total  had  been  cut  down  to  246,  of  whom 
eighty  members  of  the  Dominican  Order,  and  formerly 
parish  priests,  have  renounced  their  intention  of  returning 
to  their  parishes,  and  will  therefore  retire  in  the  near  fu- 
ture as  having  no  further  place  here,  and  thirty-two  are 
old  and  decrepit  men  who  can  not  return  to  Spain  in  safety 
for  reasons  of  bodily  weakness.  This  cuts  the  total  left 
in  the  Philippines,  when  these  112  are  taken  from  the  en- 
tire number  now  here,  134  friars,  most  of  whom  are  teach- 
ing in  schools,  either  in  Manila  or  in  one  or  two  large 
seminaries  like  Vigan.  And  the  steady  process  of  with- 
drawal goes  on  by  every  ship  that  proceeds  to  Spain.  The 
last  friar-bishop  left  on  the  same  steamer  that  bore  Bishop 
Henry  W.  Warren  on  his  leaving  the  Philippines,  and  with 
him  were  a number  of  friars  who  had  no  further  employ- 
ment to  hold  them  here. 

All  Catholic  bishops,  including  the  archbishop,  are 
now  Americans.  Americans  and  Spanish  do  not  work 


320  The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 

smoothly  together.  When  American  bishops  want  parish 
priests  they  will  send  to  America  for  them,  and  not  to 
Spain.  In  fact,  it  was  only  when  the  Administration  se- 
cured its  own  ends  by  other  than  direct  means  that  con- 
sent was  given  to  waive  this  original  condition  of  the 
proposition  to  purchase  the  lands.  As  a practical  matter 
the  friars  have  been  removed  from  the  Philippines  more 
rapidly  within  the  past  eighteen  months  than  the  con- 
ditions imposed  in  the  form  of  contract  submitted  by 
Governor  Taft  to  the  Vatican  authorities  demanded. 
There  seems  to  be  no  reason  to  suppose  that  there  will  be 
fifty  friars  in  the  Archipelago  within  ten  years.  It  seems 
clear  that  it  is  better  to  accomplish  their  removal  in  this 
way  than  to  do  it  by  force. 

It  is  now  less  than  a week  since  the  lands  were  "bought. 
Already  the  papers  are  drawn  at  the  dictation  of  Governor 
Taft,  and  signed  by  the  four  paties  who  now  stand  as 
legally  invested  with  title.  These  are : 

“ ( i ) The  Philippine  Sugar  Estates  Development 
Company,  owning  and  representing  the  Dominican  lands ; 

“(2)  The  Sociedad  Agricola  de  Ultramar,  owning 
and  representing  the  Augustinian  lands ; 

“(3)  The  British-Manila  Estates  Company,  Limited, 
representing  the  Imus  Estate,  of  eighteen  thousand  hec- 
tares, in  Cavite  province ; 

“(4)  The  Recolleto  Order,  owning  twenty-three  thou- 
sand and  nine  hectares  of  land,  in  an  estate  in  Mindoro. 

“The  organizations  selling  the  property  are  bound  to 
furnish  satisfactory  evidence  of  their  titles,  but  if  there 
are  others  who  have  any  lawful  titles  to  the  property  their 
claims  will  not  be  extinguished  by  the  bargain  between 
the  government  and  the  friars. 

“In  case  litigation  should  arise,  however,  the  gov- 
ernment will  be  at  liberty  to  choose  its  forum,  which  may 
be  a Court  of  First  Instance,  or  the  Court  of  Land  Reg- 
istration. 


The  Friar  Lands. 


321 


“In  no  case  will  any  claimant  be  able  to  get  his  case 
into  any  United  States  Court,  as  the  United  States  Fed- 
eral Government  is  not  a party  to  the  transaction. 

“The  sale  can  not  be  consummated  until  the  govern- 
ment has  received  the  proceeds  of  its  bonds,  which  must 
be  engraved,  advertised,  sold  and  the  proceeds  trans- 
ferred to  Manila.” 

The  lands  so  bought  will  be  sold  bv  the  government  in 
small  parcels,  tenants  now  on  the  land  being  given  the 
first  right  of  purchase.  Within  five,  or  at  most  ten,  years 
these  tenants  will  become  proprietors. 


21 


GUADALUPE  RUINS,  NEAR  MANILA. 

(Was  a magnificent  retreat  for  friars.  Burned  in  1899.) 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 


Philippine  Finance. 

In  no  one  way  could  the  facts  of  pacification  and  the 
establishment  of  civil  government  be  so  fully  and  convinc- 
ingly set  forth  as  by  a brief  statement  of  the  financial 
situation.  The  collection  of  taxes,  the  systematic  audit 
of  accounts  of  every  sort  in  all  the  provinces,  and  the 
steady  extension  of  agricultural  operations  as  proved  by 
the  rapid  increase  in  exports  of  hemp,  sugar,  and  copra, 
all  combine  to  make  it  abundantly  clear  that  American 
rule  is  to-day  more  nearly  universal  in  the  Philippines 
than  Spanish  rule  ever  became. 

All  the  facts  set  forth  in  the  statistics  which  follow 
are  taken  from  the  latest  reports  of  the  insular  auditor 
and  collector  of  customs,  while  the  government  currency 
expert,  Mr.  E.  W.  Kemmerer,  has  furnished  me  with  a 
brief  statement  of  the  present  status  of  the  currency  sit- 
uation. 

“treasury  statement. 

“Comparative  Treasury  Statement,  Fiscal  Years  1899, 
1900,  1901,  1902,  and  Tpoj. 

“The  following  is  a comparative  statement  of  de- 
posits and  withdrawals  at  the  insular  treasury  by  fiscal 
years  since  the  date  of  American  occupation  in  August, 
1898,  to  June  30,  1903.  The  treasurer’s  account  for  the 
fiscal  year  1903,  elsewhere  stated  in  the  currencies  ac- 
tually involved,  is  here  for  purposes  of  comparison  con- 
verted at  the  ratio  of  $2.45  to  $1,  the  official  ratio  at  the 
close  of  the  fiscal  year,  which  also  may  be  considered  a 
fair  average  ratio  for  the  year.  From  this  statement  has 

322 


Philippine  Finance, 


323 


been  excluded  the  sum  of  $455,093.49,  the  estimated 
United  States  currency  value  of  seized  funds  in  the  treas- 
ury, treated  in  former  statements  as  a part  of  the  treas- 
urer’s balance  until  June  30,  1901,  at  which  time  the  funds 
were  taken  over  to  a special  account : 


324  The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 


RECAPITULATION  FOR  YEAR  1902-03. 


Character  of  Item. 

United  States 
Currency. 

Mexican 

Currency. 

DEBIT. 

Balance  due  Government  Julv  1,  1902 

Deposits  on  account  of— 

$1,256,850  90 
5,428,357  31 

103,358  46 

29.750  48 
433,544  5' 
5-586  38 
14,269  78 
208,819  67 
130,735  65 
42,271  12 
IO,66l  85 
223,956  89 
243,834  14 

1,600,000  OO 

3,075  390  00 
3,000,000  OO 

4,154  49 
15  OO 

5,537  76 
304  47 

634,778  u 
136,938  91 

$10,755,613 15 

9,185,104  12 

Postal  revenues 

Internal  revenues 

448,547  49 
511,965  77 
71,876  98 

673.497  46 

3,614.18765 

848,507  31 

1,219,922  04 

3.243.915  40 

681,076  23 

Miscellaneous  revenues 

E-  E.  A.  and  C.  Tel.  Co..  Visayan  concession 

Seized  funds  turned  into  General  Treasury 

Sale  of  gunboats  to  United  States  Government 

Repayments  to  appropriations 

Sales  of  rice,  emergency  lund 

Sales  of  rice,  Insular  Purchasing  Agent 

Sales  of  supplies  

Refundable  export  duties  

Philippine  pesos  coined  from  bullion  purchase. 

Sale  of  bonds  and  premium  thereon 

Relief  fund  voted  by  Congress 

Surplus,  customs  auction  sales  (sec.  283,  Act 

5.673  °4 
23399 

Outstanding  liabilities 

Province  of  Rizal  (sec.  5 ig),  Act  No.  436) 

City  of  Manila 

1,56891 
2,309,464  04 

2.832,955  70 
539,269  39 

Currency  received  in  exchange  for  equivalent  in 

$16,589,115  88 

$36,943,378  67 

CREDIT. 

Withdrawals  by  accountable  warrants 

Withdrawals  by  settlement  warrants 

Withdrawals  by  postal  covering-in  warrants 

Currency  given  in  exchange  for  the  equivalent  in 

$4,273,348  27 
217,628  06 
103,358  46 

1,140,978  OO 
10,853,803  09 

$32,882,330  66 
3,705.977  26 

355,070  75 

Balance  due  Government  on  June  30,  1903 

Total  credit 

*$16,589,115  88 

$36,943,378  67 

It  will  be  seen,  from  the  above  summary  of  receipts 
and  expenditures,  that  the  custom-house  furnishes  about 
two-thirds  of  the  actual  income.  Internal  revenues  sup- 
ply a very  small  percentage  of  the  total  receipts,  as  in- 
dustries are  but  slowly  recovering  from  the  utter  pros- 
tration caused  by  war,  rinderpest,  cholera,  locusts,  and 
scant  rainfall.  It  should  also  be  borne  in  mind  that 
under  the  Provincial  and  Municipal  Codes,  revenues  de- 
rived from  all  taxes  of  an  internal  character  are  ceded 

* To  convert  into  United  States  currency  and  find  complete  totals,  di- 
vide all  Mexican  currency  by  2.45,  the  average  rate  of  exchange  for  1902-03, 
and  add  the  quotient  to  the  total  as  expressed  in  United  States  currency. 


Philippine  Finance. 


325 


to  the  province  within  which  they  are  paid.  Under  the 
head  of  miscellaneous  revenues  come  notarial  and  judi- 
cial fees,  the  income  of  the  Government  Cold  Storage 
and  Ice-plant  in  Manila,  the  new  Court  of  Land  Regis- 
tration, and  the  Forestry  Bureau,  with  many  other  lesser 
items. 

All  the  expenses  of  the  government  are  fully  met, 
and  the  following  table  shows  the  monthly  condition  of 
the  treasury  from  the  end  of  July,  1902,  to  June  30,  1903 : 

BALANCE  OF  FUNDS  IN  THE  INSULAR  TREASURY  AVAILABLE 

FOR  APPROPRIATION  AT  THE  CLOSE  OF  EACH  MONTH. 


[Amounts  expressed  in  United  States  currency.] 


DATE. 

Excess  of 
funds  availa- 
ble over 
amount  ap- 
propriated. 

Excess  of 
funds  appro- 
priated over 
amount 
available. 

1902. 

$2,136,518  42 
3,261,678  67 
4.172.497  09 
2,120,312  72 
1.894,456  29 
2,676,758  28 

1903. 

$2,909,269  51 
2,398.477  43 
3,595,253  78 

356.507  7i 
4,476,312  46 
6,849,321  28 

Every  province  is  required  to  keep  its  accounts  as 
exactly  as  a bank.  Auditors  from  Manila  are  supposed 
to  check  the  accounts  of  provincial  treasurers  at  regular 
intervals,  and  only  fail  to  do  so  because  the  Department 
of  Finance  can  not  yet  secure  a sufficient  staff  of  compe- 
tent and  reliable  men  to  overtake  the  work.  A sample 
provincial  balance  sheet,  taken  at  random  from  forty- 
one  of  an  exactly  similar  character,  between  pages  115  and 
155  of  the  Auditor’s  Report,  will  show  the  sources  of 
provincial  and  municipal  revenues,  and  how  they  are 
expended : 


THE  PROVINCE  OF  ILOILO. 


326 


The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 


32  7 


Philippine  Finance. 


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328  The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 


From  the  Second  Special  Report  of  the  Collector  of 
Customs,  covering  the  period  from  September  1,  1902, 
to  October  8,  1903,  I take  the  following: 


SUMMARY  OF  IMPORTS  INTO  THE  PHILIPPINE  ISLANDS  BY 
PORTS,  FOR  THE  FIVE  FISCAL  YEARS  ENDING 
JUNE  30,  1903. 

[ Values  represented  in  United  States  currency,  gold  and  silver  coin  included.] 

IMPORTS. 


Ports. 

Twelve  Mouths  Ending  June, 

1899. 

1900.  | I9OI. 

1902. 

1903- 

Manila  

Iloilo 

Cebu 

$12,914,818 

420,418 

302,181 

$20,839,174 
1,235.445 
850,988 
84  429 
14.326 
19  494 

$28,586,988 

2,336,918 

L430.363 

326,295 

So.597 

57.250 

$36,603,898 
1,931,800 
2,093.625 
249.693 
155. 19S 

38.524 

$29,097,688 

2,582,890 

2.895.092 

274,801 

249.371 

Zamboanga 

Total 

$13,637,417 

$23,043,856 

$32,8l8,4II 

$41,072,738 

$35,099,842 

EXPORTS. 


Ports. 

Twelve  Months  Ending  June, 

1899. 

1900. 

1901. 

1902. 

1903. 

Manila  

Iloilo  

Cebu 

$'3,692,592 

1.732.632 

616,078 

$17,180,846 
2,075  244 
2,377.506 
99.995 
4.041 
28,808 

$21,522,444 

1,512,046 

3.093.7M 

230,872 

25,090 

47,096 

$20,462,688 

2,5*7.Sl4 
3.9*3  297 
128,832 
103,320 

31136 

$29.5-0.375 

4, 108,028 

5.614.245 

209,223 

172,457 

Zamboanga 

Total  

$16,041,302 

$21,766,440 

$26,431,262 

$27,157,087 

$39,674,328 

Note.— Government  free  entries  not  included. 


This  does  not  warrant  as  encouraging  a condition 
of  agricultural  trade  as  at  first  would  appear.  A later 
table  will  show  that  rice  has  furnished  a large  portion 
of  this  total  import  value.  That  a rice-producing  country 
like  the  Philippines  should  import  rice  by  the  hundred 
million  pounds  is  an  indication  of  great  agricultural  de- 
pression : 


Philippine  Finance. 


329 


COMPARATIVE  SUMMARY  OF  SOME  OF  THE  LEADING  ARTICLES 
IMPORTED 

Into  and  Exported  from  the  Philippine  Islands  During  the  Four  Fiscal 
Years  Ending  June  30,  1903. 

[Values  represented  in  United  States  Currency  ] 


IMPORTS. 


Articles. 

1900. 

1901. 

1902. 

1903- 

R ice 

Opium 

Flour 

Illuminating  oil  

Beer  in  bottles 

Coal,  bituminous 

Sugar,  refined 

Cocoa 

Total 

$3,113,423 

476,244 

399,40.8 

829,344 

638,416 

52.3** 

160,482 

?5.49o.958 

619338 

50M98 

45'.349 
1 ,030,69s 
265.056 
18,404 
164,969 

$6,578,481 

819.625 

685,962 

497.639 

501.918 

318.955 

128,041 

203,421 

$10,061,323 

721,551 

683,360 

652,557 

452.292 

399.499 

144.966 

198.044 

$2,869,628 

$8,541,970 

$9,734,042 

$13,313,592 

EXPORTS 


Hemp 

$11,598,948 

$14,453,110 

$15,841,316 

$21,701,575 

Copra 

1,690,897 

2,64.8,304 

1.001,656 

4.472  679 

Sugar,  raw 

2.S67.21I 

2,293,065 

2.761.432 

3,955,828 

Tobacco 

896996 

953.520 

7S4.523 

902.610 

Cigars 

1,188,161 

*.250,175 

1,166,722 

947.M4 

Cigarettes  

1,898 

11,092 

9.995 

20,699 

Ylang-Ylang  oil 

4L975 

70,553 

104.  *39 

Total 

$18,244,111 

$21,651,239 

$22,136,197 

$32,104,674 

VALUE  OF  COTTON  GOODS  FOR  FISCAL  YEAR  1903, 
Showing  Countries  from  which  Imported. 


Countries. 


Value. 


United  Kingdom 

Spain 

Germany 

United  States  of  America. 

British  East  Indies 

Switzerland 

China  

Japan  

France 

Italy  

Netherlands 

Belgium 

Hong-Kong 

Austria 

Dutch  East  Indies 

French  China 

British  China 

Egypt 

Canary  Islands 

British  Australia 

Russia 

All  other  Asia 


$3,124,518 

S61.800 

576.058 

391,080 

328,411 

288,414 

■43.4M 
■3i>89° 
1 18,630 
S9o'2 
78.736 
77.865 
60.557 
10,813 


957 

849 

305 

223 

■47 


140 


42 

9 


Total. 


$6,284,370 


330  The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 


Opium  shows  a slight  decrease,  chiefly  attributable  to 
the  fact  that  a very  material  increase  in  the  duty  on  opium 
was  made  during  the  fiscal  year  1902,  previous  knowledge 
of  which  fact  caused  importers  to  lay  in  an  unusually  large 
stock  under  the  old  rate,  thus  materially  affecting  the  im- 
ports for  the  first  few  months  of  the  fiscal  year  1903. 

It  is  a fact  worthy  of  special  note  that  for  the  entire 
four  years  opium  has  stood  ahead  of  wheat-flour  as  an 
article  of  import  and  consumption  in  the  Philippine 
Islands. 

Illuminating  oil  comes  next,  with  beer  in  bottles  second 
in  importance. 

Flour  comes  exclusively  from  the  United  States,  as 
does  a large  portion  of  the  illuminating  oil  and  beer  in 
bottles.  There  has  been  a considerable  decline  in  the  im- 
portation of  beer,  apparently  attributable  to  the  reduction 
of  the  number  of  United  States  soldiers  in  these  Islands, 
and  to  the  application  of  the  “Two-Mile  Limit  Law,’’ 
which  prohibits  the  establishment  of  saloons  within  two 
miles  of  any  permanent  military  post.  The  liquor  busi- 
ness is  very  large  in  Manila  yet,  but  no  larger  in  propor- 
tion than  in  any  city  of  its  size  in  America,  and  the  Sun- 
day Closing  Law  is  strictly  enforced.  Thus  imports  of 
beer  are  cut  down. 

Plemp  is  easily  the  first  article  of  export.  It  shows  an 
increase  of  nearly  100  per  cent  since  1900.  There  seems 
no  limit  to  its  production. 

It  is  very  interesting  to  note  the  countries  which  absorb 
Philippine  exports,  and  those  which  furnish  the  imports. 


EARLY  MORNING  IN  A MANILA  STREET 


Philippine  Finance. 


333 


COMPARATIVE  SUMMARY 

of  Imports  into  the  Philippine  Islands,  by  countries,  during  the  Two  Fiscal 
Years  Ending  June  30,  1903. 

[Duties  and  Values  Represented  in  United  States  Currency. 


1902.  | 1903- 


Countries. 

Values. 

Duties. 

Values. 

Duties. 

United  States 

$4,035,243 

$912,525 

$4,108,944 

$842,568 

Kngland 

4.677.9" 

1.303.702 

4,903,270 

1,340.742 

Hong-Kong 

9.833.746 

146.407 

1 .574  403 

206,779 

Hast  Indies,  British 

3 721.597 

654231 

2.237,382 

. 563.731 

Hast  Indies,  French 

3.244.329 

573.071 

5.629,093 

902,402 

Chinese  Empire 

2.680,954 

737.841 

4.717  617 

1,001.478 

Spain 

2,396,611 

703.386 

2,621,196 

729.471 

Germany 

2.356.548 

5'5.542 

1,998  922 

556.706 

French  China 

1.599.705 

305.982 

I 505.558 

219,965 

France 

1.524.838 

256  998 

1,182,901 

334.440 

Japan 

922,269 

272,927 

701  347 

241.571 

Switzerland 

882,651 

198,018 

480,612 

122,149 

Scotland  

645.490 

140  585 

259,885 

61.503 

All  oilier  Asia— Siam 

527645 

79.918 

6.32,993 

86,628 

British  Australasia 

526.054 

4.8,986 

6l8  140 

40,795 

Belgium 

243.224 

57, 3'° 

218,985 

54.181 

Russia 

231,611 

144  139 

286,856 

133.888 

British  China 

201,537 

14.962 

4,019 

954 

Italy 

tS6,tl6 

60,366 

M9.5I2 

50.490 

Netherlands 

1 sS,6S4 

86,922 

163.405 

117,801 

Austria 

126,076 

30990 

105,089 

32.764 

Dutch  Hast  Indies 

77.765 

20,500 

83105 

23.038 

British  Columbia 

29576 

5.558 

0 7717 

3.763 

875.245 

Quebec.  Ontario,  etc 

22,535 

13.625 

7.421 

4.453 

Ireland 

8,447 

2,084 

8,577 

2.336 

Denmark  

5.  MS 

749 

6,734 

766 

West  Indies — British 

3.736 

1,191 

29 

32 

Sweden  and  Norway  

3.426 

275 

5.133 

757 

Korea 

937 

7* 

276 

42 

Egypt 

3.242 

1.74° 

3.76i 

1,904 

Portugal 

729 

351 

295 

180 

783 

227 

257 

361 

]S6 

Cuba  

23 

3 

105 

148 

24 

3 

Canary  Islands 

295 

81 

Total 

$41  105,034 

$7,291,916 

$35,099-842 

$7,678  94s 

Dutiable 

29.869  I40 

3i.333.999 

It  is  shown  that  the  value  of  imports  for  the  fiscal  year  1903  falls  $6  005  192 
short  of  the  value  shown  for  1902.  This  shrinkage  is  more  than  accounted 
for  by  the  difference  in  the  quantity  of  silver  imported,  the  importation  of 
silver  for  1902  being  58,652  64S,  as  against  $1,933,435  forthe  year  1903.  the  falling 
off  of  silver  being  $6,719,213  or  $714,021  greater  than  the  shrinkage  in  total 
values  for  the  year  1903.  Import  duties  for  1903  show  an  increase  of  $387,032 
over  the  amount  collected  during  the  year  1902 

Government  free  entries  and  government  stores  arriving  on  transports 
not  included  in  foregoing  statement. 

The  abnormal  import  values  shown  for  Hong-Kong  in  1902  are  explained 
by  the  lact  that  nearly  all  silver  coin  came  from  that  port. 


334 


The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 


The  United  States  and  England  are  the  two  chief 
countries  of  import.  Both  show  substantial  gains  for 
the  year  1903,  occupying  substantially  the  same  relative 
position  held  last  year.  It  should  be  noticed,  however, 
that  government  free  entries  have  greatly  increased  and 
that  a very  large  per  cent  of  the  merchandise  entered 
free  of  duty  by  the  Insular  and  United  States  govern- 
ment comes  from  the  United  States ; also  all  supplies 
brought  on  United  States  transports  of  which  no  account 
is  taken  in  customs  records. 

While  no  exact  figures  as  to  the  actual  value  of  such 
merchandise  are  obtainable,  it  is  safe  to  state  that  if  the 
value  of  such  imports  were  added,  the  total  value  of 
the  merchandise  coming  from  the  United  States,  would 
be  shown  to  be  more  than  three  times  the  value  of  mer- 
chandise coming  from  England,  as  that  country  is  not 
represented  in  this  class  of  imports. 


COMPARATIVE  SUMMARY 

Of  Exports  from  the  Philippine  Islands,  by  Countries,  during  the  Two 
Fiscal  Years  Ending  June  30,  1903. 


[Duties  and  Values  represented  in  United  States  Currency.] 


Countries. 

1902. 

>9°3- 

Values. 

Duties. 

Values. 

Duties. 

United  States 

$7,871,713 

$286  916 

$>3,863,059 

$619,418 

England 

8,280,478 

339.053 

8.799.329 

449  273 

Spain 

869,875 

97,212 

757.500 

89  807 

Hon-Kgong 

5.799. '*3 

83.442 

7 303.234 

76688 

Japan  

1.346517 

27.032 

1 059  366 

55.597 

France  

955,828 

23.788 

3 684,116 

120  690 

British  East  Indies 

672,614 

>3,169 

994.400 

>6  867 

British  Australasia 

436.530 

12.953 

336.251 

15.133 

Chinese  Empire 

295-322 

6,965 

649  5°2 

10,344 

British  Africa 

122,073 

4,410 

12,092 

297 

French  China 

120,180 

3.372 

93.353 

2.797 

Austria-Hungary 

88,787 

20,587 

162,197 

21.233 

Germany 

75,626 

1 881 

306  664 

8,676 

British  China 

55  '9i 

894 

394  258 

294 

Belgium 

46  S29 

2.565 

>37  >03 

8.373 

East  Indies,  Dutch 

27  442 

807 

25  198 

1 ,029 

Netherlands 

20.212 

1,203 

44.06l 

4. '99 

Italy 

17.830 

324 

13.177 

I96 

Quebec,  Ontario,  etc 

7.697 

108 

6,157 

Il8 

Philippine  Fin  a n c e. 


335 


COMPARATIVESU  MM  ARY— Continued. 


1902. 


Countries. 


Values. 


Gibraltar 

Russia  

Scotland  

Hawaiian  Islands 

British  Columbia 

All  other  Asia — Siam 

Guam 

German  Oceania 

East  Indies,  French 

Korea  

Aukland  Islands  . ...  

Uruguay  

Switzerland..  

Russian  China 

Turkey  in  Africa — Egypt 

Guatemala 

Canary  Islands 

All  other  Asia— Arabia 

Argentine  Republic. 

Aden 

Bermuda 

All  other  Asia— Persia 

Malta,  Gozo,  Cypress 

Greece 

Nova  Scotia,  New  Brunswick 

Paraguay  

East  Indies,  Portuguese  

Spanish  Africa 

Spanish  Oceania 

Portugal  

French  Africa 


6.812 
12  128 


3.687 
3 648 
3003 
2 481 
1 .934 
1.578 


1.400 

1.310 

1.246 
1 008 
905 


8S9 


411 

321 

167 

150 

140 

119 

95 


48 


Total. 


f 27. 157.087 


Duties. 


1903- 


Values.  Duties. 


224 

3'9 

59 

63 


66 

42 

14 

1 

29 

22 

24 

234 


12 

16 

s 

18 

2 

20 


9.499 

284 

28417 

811 

2.787 

40 

5.910 

135 

2.030 

4 1 

128.332 

109 

109.317 

172 

710 

12 

130 

2 

2.700 

570 

457 

10 

578 

9 

'.952 

68 

4,128 

356 

599 

79 

718 

10 

4 


I 2,970  93 


4,684 

480 

163 


275 

U5 

I 


900 

30 

24.775 

1.035 


49 

1.597 

24 


?927.97S 


fe9.674.328 


$i.  508.891 


Thus  the  United  States  and  England  receive  more 
than  half  of  all  the  exports  from  the  Philippines.  Nearly 
all  the  hemp  goes  there  because  of  a rebate  paid  to  ship- 
pers whose  cargoes  are  consigned  to  United  States  pur- 
chasers. 

How  great  has  been  the  labor  necessary  to  take  up 
the  tangled  skein  of  Philippine  accounts  in  the  midst 
of  the  hurly-burly  of  early  1901,  patiently  untangle  every 
set  of  books,  military  and  civil,  fearlessly  demand  an 
honest  settlement  of  all  accounts,  no  matter  who  was 
hurt,  and  then  inaugurate  and  put  into  smooth  running 
order  a complete  system  of  accounting  and  audit  for 


336  The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 

every  department  of  the  government,  is  impossible  for 
ordinary  minds  to  comprehend.  This  has  been  done  by 
Mr.  A.  L.  Lawshe,  who  was  appointed  by  Secretary 
Root  for  that  purpose,  and  given  full  power  to  audit  all 
accounts,  and  by  his  instructions  and  by  Rule  72  of  Act 
go  of  the  Civil  Commission  “to  apply  the  checks  and 


THE  DRAY  OF  THE  PHILIPPINES. 

safeguards  to  the  expenditures  of  the  moneys  of  the 
Philippine  government  that  are  thrown  about  the  moneys 
of  the  United  States.” 

With  a small  force  of  trained  men  from  Washington, 
and  such  other  help  as  could  be  had — much  of  it  inex- 
perienced, and  some  of  it  lacking  in  financial  honor — 
he  has  brought  this  vast  task  to  completion.  He  has 
made  enemies.  What  strict  auditor  does  not?  But  sev- 


Philippine  Finance. 


337 


enteen  defaulting  officials,  fourteen  being  Americans, 
have  been  brought  to  trial,  and  sentences  of  from  eight 
to  twenty-five  years  imposed  by  the  courts,  mainly  on 
the  basis  of  balance  sheets  from  the  auditor's  office.  Mr. 
Lawshe  has  served  the  cause  of  righteousness  and  clean 
government  by  his  ability  and  integrity,  and,  with  many 
another  good  public  servant,  deserves  the  gratitude  of 
the  nation. 

The  new  Currency  Act,  of  March  3,  1903,  provides 
for  the  coinage  of  a Philippine  peso,  which  shall  be  worth 
just  one-half  of  a dollar  in  United  States  currency.  The 
auditor  says  in  his  report  (page  20)  : 

‘‘To  November  1st  a total  of  14,547,166  pesos  of  the 
new  currency,  including  subsidiary  coinage,  had  been 
received  and  taken  into  the  treasurer’s  account.  . . . 

“The  new  currency  was  put  into  circulation  promptly 
after  its  receipt,  and  the  very  large  balance  of  United 
States  currency  in  the  insular  treasury  at  the  close  of  the 
fiscal  year  enabled  the  insular  government  to  resume  pay- 
ment July  1,  1903,  in  a gold-standard  currency  without 
a ripple  of  disturbance. 

"All  appropriations  were  made  withdrawable  after 
June  3d  in  Philippine  currency  or  United  States  cur- 
rency at  the  option  of  the  treasurer,  and  disbursements 
were  ordered  paid  in  the  same  currencies,  except  in  cases 
especially  otherwise  authorized,  according  to  the  nature 
of  the  contract. 

“In  order  that  the  new  Philippine  currency  might  be 
substituted  for  local  or  Mexican  currency  as  rapidly  as 
possible,  each  and  every  disbursing  officer  of  the  insular 
government  was  directed  by  executive  order  to  deposit 
in  the  insular  treasury  any  local  or  Mexican  currency  in 
his  hands,  which  was  not  required  for  disbursement  be- 
fore June  30,  1903.  and  close  his  Mexican-currency  ac- 
counts as  of  that  date. 

“In  order  to  promote  and  expedite  the  circulation  of 
the  new  money  in  the  provinces  the  treasurer,  by  Execu- 
tive Order  No.  6,  was  authorized  and  directed  to  ex- 


22 


338  The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 

change,  in  his  discretion,  with  any  provincial  treasurer, 
pursuant  to  a resolution  of  the  Provincial  Board,  Philip- 
pine curencv  for  Mexican  and  Spanish-Filipino  currency 
at  the  authorized  ratio  at  the  time  which  provincial  funds 
were  received  at  the  insular  treasury  for  such  exchange. 
Likewise  all  officers  of  the  government  were  directed  to 
make  all  contracts  payable  in  the  Philippine  or  United 
States  currency,  at  the  option  of  the  government,  and 
all  existing  contracts  otherwise  payable  were  directed  to 
be  adjusted  to  the  new  basis  as  soon  as  practicable.  The 
accounts  for  the  fiscal  year  1904  will  be  rendered  and 
settled  as  far  as  practicable  in  Philippine  currency,  with 
the  previous  approval  of  the  civil  governor  and  Secretary 
of  War.  . . . 

“The  most  encouraging  feature  in  the  accounting 
work  is  the  early  adoption  in  full  of  a stable  currency. 
That  the  government  will  be  able  to  eliminate  Mexican 
and  Spanish  Filipino  currency  from  official  circulation 
after  December  31st  next  is  a foregone  conclusion,  and 
that  this  will  be  done  without  injury  to  any  interests  is 
apparent,  due  largely,  however,  to  the  very  great  volume 
of  United  States  currency  injected  into  the  circulating 
medium  of  the  Islands  since  American  occupation.” 

As  to  the  working  of  the  new  Currency  Law  after 
December  31,  1903,  I quote  from  Mr.  Kemmerer: 

“The  only  forms  of  money  made  legal  tender  by  the 
Act  of  Congress,  approved  March  2,  1903,  for  contracts 
made  after  December  31,  1903  (undess  otherwise  ex- 
pressly provided  by  contract),  are:  (1)  ‘Gold  coins  of 
the  United  States  at  the  rate  of  one  dollar  for  two  pesos,’ 
legal  tender  to  any  amount:  (2)  ‘Philippine  silver  pesos,’ 
legal  tender  to  any  amount;  (3)  ‘Philippine  subsidiary 
silver  pesos,’  legal  tender  to  any  amount ; (4)  ‘Philip- 
pine subsidiary  silver  coins,’  legal  tender  to  the  ‘amount 
of  ten  dollars.’  ” 

Philippine  silver  certificates,  while  not  a legal  tender, 
are  ‘"receivable  for  customs,  taxes,  and  for  all  public 
due$  in  the  Philippines,”  can  be  counted  as  part  of  a 


Philippi ne  F i n a n c e. 


339 


bank’s  lawful  reserve,  and  are  redeemable  on  demand 
by  the  Philippine  government  in  Philippine  silver  pesos, 
which  are  a full  legal  tender.  Philippine  subsidiary  silver 
coins,  while  only  legal  tender  to  the  amount  of  ten  dol- 
lars, are,  like  Philippine  minor  coins  of  nickel  and  cop- 
per, exchangeable  on  demand  at  the  insular  treasury  or 
at  any  provincial  treasury,  when  offered  in  sums  of  ten 
pesos  or  any  multiple  thereof,  for  Philippine  silver  pesos 
of  full  legal  tender. 

The  question  of  the  receivability  of  currency  for  pub- 
lic dues  is  entirely  distinct  from  the  question  of  legal 
tender.  The  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States  (Lane 
County  vs.  Oregon),  as  well  as  the  Supreme  Courts  of 
several  states  (see,  for  example,  N.  J.  Supreme  Court 
decisions — City  of  Camden  vs.  Allen.  1857),  has  taken 
the  position  that  a tax  is  not  a debt  in  the  sense  of  that 
word  contemplated  by  legal-tender  laws.  Section  7 of 
the  Act  of  Congress,  appoved  March  2,  1903,  provides 
“that  the  Mexican  silver  dollar  now  in  use  in  the  Phil- 
ippine Islands,  and  the  silver  coins  heretofore  issued  by 
the  Spanish  government  for  use  in  said  Islands,  shall  be 
receivable  for  public  dues  at  a rate  to  be  fixed  from  time 
to  time  by  proclamation  of  the  civil  governor  of  said 
Islands  until  such  date,  not  earlier  than  the  first  day  of 
January,  nineteen  hundred  and  four,  as  may  be  fixed 
by  public  proclamation  of  said  civil  governor,  when  such 
coins  shall  cease  to  be  so  receivable.”  In  accordance 
with  this  provision  the  civil  governor  issued  a proclama- 
tion on  October  23d,  providing  that  “Mexican  silver 
dollars  shall  be  receivable  for  public  dues  at  a rate  to 
be  fixed  from  time  to  time  by  proclamation  of  the  civil 
governor,  until  the  first  day  of  January,  nineteen  hun- 
dred and  four,  and  that  on  and  after  that  date  such  coins 
shall  cease  to  be  so  receivable.” 


340 


The  Phieippines  and  the  Far  East. 


The  legal  tender  quality  has  nothing  to  do  with  cur- 
rent transactions.  There  is  nothing  to  prevent  a person 
from  making  purchases  and  sales  in  Mexican  currency 
after  December  31st,  if  he  wishes  to  do  so.  The  fact, 
however,  that  the  value  of  Mexican  money  is  extremely 
unstable,  that  it  is  rapidly  being  given  up  and  discredited 
by  most  of  the  countries  which  have  heretofore  used  it, 
that  the  government  will  not  receive  it  after  December 
31st  in  payment  of  obligations  due  itself,  and  that  it 
will  not  be  a legal  tender  for  debts  contracted  after  that 
date,  will  altogether  make  it  an  undesirable  form  of  coin 
to  use,  and  self  interest  on  the  part  of  the  trading  com- 
munity should  tend  rapidly  to  banish  it  from  the  Islands. 


CHATTER  XIX. 


The  Government  and  Religious  Conditions. 

Tiie  path  that  Philippine  officials  have  been  called 
to  tread  has  been  far  from  easy.  Conditions  were  new. 
Problems  familiar  in  some  aspects  in  onr  own  national 
past  took  on  features  wholly  unfamiliar,  and  called  for 
expedients  never  before  used  bv  rulers  of  American  blood. 
Nearly  all  the  members  of  the  Civil  Commission  were 
inexperienced  in  Oriental  life,  or  had  acquired  little  more 
than  ordinary  familiarity  with  conditions  prevailing 
among  Asiatic  peoples  in  the  tropics. 

In  the  religious  aspects  of  their  duties  there  were  the 
most  vexatious  and  delicate  complications.  Here  was  a 
people  who  had  no  acquaintance  with  a government  that 
rigidly  separated  things  that  differ  so  widely  as  the  func- 
tions of  the  Church  and  State.  Spanish  leaders  had  no 
knowledge  of  the  possibility  of  governmental  neutrality 
in  religious  matters.  These  were  yet  under  the  leader- 
ship, in  Manila,  at  least,  of  priests  equally  blind  and 
warped.  If  officials  did  not  accede  to  all  petitions  for 
civil  interference  in  religious  squabbles  they  were  de- 
nounced as  Protestant  sympathizers.  If  they  insisted 
that  no  Catholic  should  teach  religion  in  the  public 
schools,  the  conclusion  was  instantly  drawn  that  they 
proposed  to  make  these  schools  Protestant.  Stories  were 
set  afloat  to  the  effect  that  Protestant  ministers  and  mis- 
sionaries were  largely  represented  in  the  body  of  public- 
school  teachers,  and  that  their  faith  was  threatened. 


34i 


342  The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 

When  Protestant  missionaries  appeared  on  the  scene 
the  situation  was  still  more  complicated.  Friars  could 
not  comprehend  that  toleration  did  not  mean  support. 
Doubtless  many  of  these  medievalists  yet  believe  that 
tbe  officials  are  secretly  supporting  the  Protestant  move- 
ment with  public  funds,  and  giving  us  official  aid  and 
comfort  in  other  ways,  and  all  this  for  the  simple  reason 
that  they  try  to  be  fair  and  maintain  inviolate  separation 
between  the  Church  and  State,  which  has  been  our  policy 
from  the  dawn  of  the  Republic. 

With  the  advent  of  the  Independent  Catholic  Church 
movement,  better  known  as  the  Aglipay  movement,  from 
the  name  of  the  priest  who  stands  forth  as  the  leader, 
confusion  became  more  than  ever  confounded  for  the 
Catholic  of  conventional  ideas  as  to  the  oneness  of  things 
civil  and  religious. 

One  case  will  illustrate  what  is  meant.  In  the  sum- 
mer of  1901  the  Filipino  priest  of  Tarlac,  province  of 
Tarlac,  Father  Eusebio  Natividad,  complained  to  Gov- 
ernor Taft  that  tbe  Municipal  Council  of  that  city  had 
attempted,  by  ordinance  or  resolution,  to  regulate  the 
fees  which  he  was  charging  for  religious  functions  per- 
formed by  him  as  priest.  Governor  Taft  at  once  ad- 
dressed a letter  to  the  civil  governor  of  the  province, 
Captain  Wallis  O.  Clark.  The  letter  was  intended  to 
meet  all  similar  cases,  and  was  therefore  ordered  put  into 
a number  of  native  languages  and  given  the  widest  pos- 
sible publicity.  It  was  the  plainest  possible  statement 
of  our  historic  position  as  to  the  relegation  of  Churchly 
affairs  to  Churches,  and  the  management  of  civil  affairs 
by  officials  of  the  State.  It  is  too  long  to  reproduce  here, 
but  was  what  would  have  been  considered  even  platitu- 
dinous in  any  American  circles,  so  simply  did  it  put  the 
familiar  truths  and  some  of  the  chief  reasons  for  our 


Government  and  Religious  Conditions.  343 


national  adhesion  to  them.  The  application  of  the  law 
to  the  case  in  hand  was  in  the  concluding  portion  of  the 
letter.  It  was  as  follows  : 

“What  fees  or  compensation  shall  be  charged  bv  a 
minister  of  religion  for  religious  services  performed  by 
him  is  a matter  wholly  within  the  control  of  the  Church 
authorities,  and  is  one  in  which  the  civil  government, 
whether  municipal,  provincial,  or  insular,  can  have  no 
voice  whatever.  No  one  is  obliged  by  civil  law  to  partake 
of  the  sacraments  of  the  Roman  Catholic  Church ; no  one 
is  required  by  law  to  solicit  from  the  priest  the  burial 
ceremony,  or  tbe  marriage  ceremony  of  the  Catholic 
Church.  If  he  does  so,  under  the  government  as  it  now 
exists  in  these  islands,  he  does  it  voluntarily.  If,  how- 
ever, his  religious  conscience  requires  of  him  that  he 
should  secure  the  performance  of  any  such  ceremony  by 
a priest  of  the  Catholic  Church,  and  deems  the  fee  ex- 
acted excessive,  he  can  have  no  recourse  to  civil  govern- 
ment, but  must  apply  for  relief  to  tbe  Superior  ecclesias- 
tical authority  in  the  Catholic  Church.” 

The  governor  took  the  necessary  executive  action  to 
protect  the  aggrieved  priest,  and  had  reason  to  suppose 
that  Catholics,  of  all  men,  would  applaud  the  fairness 
of  his  action.  But  not  so.  Within  a few  days  there 
appeared  an  attack  on  him  and  his  administration,  which, 
better  than  any  one  utterance  of  the  friar  party  that  has 
come  to  my  attention,  illustrates  their  psychological 
state.  It  was  published  by  an  organization  of  laymen 
and  friars  called  “Centro  Catholico,”  at  their  headquar- 
ters, No.  49  Calle  Cariedo,  Manila.  The  heading  and 
portions  of  it  are  given.  They  are  excellent  samples  of 
pages  and  pages  of  stuff  that  has  appeared  in  tracts  and 
periodicals  in  criticism  of  official  actions  equally  fair : 

“to  THE  CONFLICT,  FILIPINO  CATHOLICS  ! 

“Not  many  days  since  a miserable  paper,  rabidly  im- 


344 


The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 


pious,  saw  light  in  this  capital,  a monstrous  abortion  of 
perversity,  a banneret  of  enrollment  in  the  interests  of 
apostasy,  in  which  freely  and  unmasked  the  cry  is  raised, 
‘War  against  God !' 

“To  arms,  then,  warriors  of  Jesus  Christ ! The  chal- 
lenge is  thrown  down  ! To  the  strife,  Catholic  soldiers ! 
Not  with  resort  to  worldly  arms,  but  to  the  powers  of 
prayer,  of  faith,  of  a union  of  all  true  Catholics,  of  public 
manifestation  of  our  religious  sentiments,  to  defend  them 
by  all  the  means  that  are  in  our  power. 

“Yes!  War  against  God!  This  is  the  motto  of  this 
infernal  proclamation.  They  say,  ‘that  they  can  not, 
nor  do  they  desire,  to  intervene  in  religious  questions,’ 
then,  lying  with  hateful  cynicism,  they  excite  the  people 
to  make  in  all  parts  manifestations  of  distrust  against  the 
Catholic  priests.  War  against  God!  they  have  said;  and 
in  truth  what  is  intended  by  this  procedure  except  the 
overthrow  of  the  apostolic  ministry,  preaching,  the  ad- 
ministration of  the  sacraments  in  due  time  as  ministers 
of  the  Church  ; and  in  overthrowing  these,  is  it  not  re- 
sisting the  Church  itself,  the  bishops,  the  Holy  Father, 
God  Himself,  in  a word  ? And  all  under  the  guise  of  a 
pernicious  liberty  ! Buffoons  ! Pusillanimous  and  false 
politicians ! You  see  the  poor  Filipino,  despised  and  re- 
jected, and  now  you  allure  us  with  the  fatal  error  of 
impiety  and  irreligion.  You  desire  to  eclipse  the  sun  of 
the  moral  world,  which  is  the  Catholic  faith.  We  shall 
walk  in  darkness ; the  scene  of  Sennar  will  be  repeated ; 
the  Philippines  will  be  as  Babylon.  . . . Will  you  con- 
sent to  have  your  faith  torn  from  you  by  violence?  Will 
you  consent  that  it  disappear  from  the  Philippines,  because 
it  so  pleases  four  rickety  brawlers  | meaning,  no  doubt, 
the  members  of  the  Commission] — the  religion  in  which 
you  have  been  educated?  . . . The  Catholic  Center 

protests  in  your  name  against  the  nasty,  miserable  paper, 
and  its  reprobate  propositions.  . . . We  despise  these 

talkative  pigmies.  . . . Away  with  cowardice ! Com- 

plete unity ; close  alliance,  and  Forward ! What  if  the 
tempest  increases  and  hell  roars?  Here  are  our  ada- 


Government  and  Religious  Conditions.  345 


mantine  breasts  in  order  to  receive  the  first  blow  ; ani- 
mated by  the  splendid  shade  of  Risis  and  Garcias  More- 
nos,  and  all  the  heroes  who  have  wisely  sacrificed  them- 
selves for  God  and  the  Holy  Mother  Church.  . . . 

To-dav  impiety  reigns,  and  it  is  a time  of  ruin,  of  fury, 
and  of  indignation.  Therefore  be  zealous  to-day  for  the 
law,  and  give  your  lives  in  defense  of  the  will  of  your 
parents.  Be  resolved  by  tbe  valor  of  your  ancestors,  and 
you  shall  acquire  imperishable  fame  and  eternal  renown.” 

Now,  what  possible  way  is  there  to  deal  with  such 
a state  of  mind  as  is  disclosed  in  this  official  answer  to 
an  innocent  declaration  of  religious  neutrality?  How 
can  sane  Catholics  believe  that  men  who  indulge  in  such 
mock  heroics  as  offering  their  “adamantine  breasts”  to 
some  undefined  “blows,”  and  otherwise  making  them- 
selves a laughing-stock  for  serious  men,  can  profitably 
continue  in  the  Philippines  under  a kind  of  rule  which 
they  perfectly  fail  to  comprehend  ? Of  what  possible 
use  can  they  be  as  a religious  agency,  or  what  can  they 
accomplish  as  a social  force  working  for  the  good  of 
this  or  any  other  people? 

The  official  records  of  the  cases  of  a purely  or  par- 
tially religious  character  which  have  been  referred  to  the 
Executive  Bureau  of  the  Philippine  government  have 
been  placed  at  my  disposal,  and  the  evidence  they  fur- 
nish of  tbe  thorny  questions  submitted  for  adjudication 
or  action  would  make  any  self-respecting  American 
Catholic  ashamed  of  his  Philippine  representatives.  He 
would  be  ashamed  of  their  lack  of  common  intelligence. 
They  appear  in  this  official  correspondence  as  ecclesias- 
tical Rip  van  Winkles,  just  awakened  after  three  cen- 
turies of  modern  life  had  slipped  over  their  somnolent 
heads.  They  are  still  in  the  Dark  Ages.  They  talk  the 
language  of  a dead  past.  They  are  out  of  joint  with  the 
times. 


346  The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 

It  is  far  from  true  that  only  the  friars  who  have  al- 
ways lived  in  the  dim  light  of  the  Philippines  are  thus 
in  the  dark  as  to  what  are  the  limitations  of  the  civil 
power;  Mgr.  Guidi,  the  Apostolic  Delegate,  fresh  from 
Rome,  stumbles  equally  upon  this  unfamiliar  path  of 
religious  toleration. 

In  March  of  1903  a Filipino  priest  near  Iloilo  was 
persuaded  to  cast  in  his  lot  with  the  Aglipay  movement. 
He  tells  his  own  story  of  pitiable  vacillation  and  Jesuit- 
ical decision  to  join  them,  and  afterward  declares  that 
he  was  threatened  with  violence  in  case  the  movement 
did  not  win,  and  he  felt  it  was  wise  to  make  his  peace 
with  Rome  again.  It  is  the  letter  of  a weak,  hysterical 
old  man.  It  does  not  allege  threats  of  violence,  but 
plainly  says,  “I  signed,  for  I knew  not  what  was  passing 
with  me,  and  I did  these  things  so  that  they  would  leave 
me  alone.” 

This  letter  he  forwards  to  his  immediate  superior, 
who,  in  turn,  sends  it  on  to  the  Apostolic  Delegate,  who 
submits  it  to  Governor  Taft,  with  a communication  from 
which  I quote : 

“.  . . . Its  contents  will  serve  to  show  what 

peaceful  and  lawful  means  Aglipay  makes  use  of  for  the 
furtherance  of  schism.  The  poor  priest  in  question 
yielded  to  sheer  force,  as  you  will  see,  but  on  the  follow- 
ing day  wrote  the  inclosed  document  reaffirming  his  fidel- 
ity to  the  Catholic  Church.  ...  In  view  of  the  pernicious 
effects  which  these  methods  of  procedure  have  both  in 
the  Islands  and  abroad,  I would  entreat  Your  Excellency 
to  issue  such  orders  as  will  effectually  put  a stop  to  this 
disgraceful  state  of  things.  ...  I have  the  honor 
to  remain.  Respectfully  yours, 

“(Sgd.)  John  Baptist  Guidi, 

“Archbishop  of  Stauropoli, 
“Apostolic  Delegate.” 


Government  and  Religious  Conditions.  347 

In  liis  reply  Governor  Taft  says,  in  part : 

. I am  obliged  to  say,  after  reading  the 
same  [the  letter  of  the  priest],  that,  while  the  method  of 
proselytizing  as  described  in  that  letter  pursued  by  Sr. 
Aglipay  and  others  may  be  subject  to  severe  criticism 
on  the  ground  of  taste  and  morality,  there  is  no  statement 
in  the  letter  of  the  priest  of  any  fact  which  would  justify 
the  belief  that  he  was  threatened  with  personal  violence 
or  suffering.  He  does  not  state  any  specific  threat,  Inn 
says  that  he  was  nervous  and  was  overcome  bv  their  un- 
due pressure.  This  does  not  present  a case  for  criminal 
prosecution,  but  is  an  instance  of  a nervous,  weak  old 
man,  yielding  to  importunate  and  undue  influence.  The 
expressions  of  contrition  by  the  priest,  the  statement  that 
he  first  sought  Aglipay,  and  called  on  him,  the  further 
statement  that  the  prominent  people  of  his  town  were 
all  in  favor  of  Aglipay,  and  that  they  claimed  the  Church, 
indicate  the  character  of  the  pressure  that  was  brought 
to  bear  on  him  to  influence  him  to  consent  in  words  which 
he  did  do,  though  he  says  that  lie  intended  to  protest  the 
next  day.  I confess  that  I can  not  see  that  the  circum- 
stances present  a case  for  the  interference  of  the  Execu- 
tive. . . . It  is  a case  of  weakness  on  the  part  of 

the  priest,  and  not  a case  of  crime  on  the  part  of  those 
who  induced  him  to  take  the  course  which  he  took. 

“Very  respectfully, 

“(Sgd.)  Wm.  H.  T’aft, 

“Civil  Governor.” 

Archbishop  Martin  Algoccr  attacked  the  governor 
one  day  in  his  office  with  bitter  charges  of  unfairness  in 
a certain  matter  of  considerable  local  importance.  The 
governor  turned  to  his  private  secretary  and  asked  for 
the  letters  in  which  he  had  been  attacked  for  the  action 
which  he  had  taken  in  the  case,  and  the  secretary  imme- 
diately asked,  “Which  letters,  the  Catholic  or  the  Protes- 
tant ? I have  as  many  of  one  as  of  the  other.”  Both  sides 
criticise,  and  I am  forced  to  believe  that  many  of  those 
who  are  the  most  violent  in  their  criticism  have  the  least 


348  The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 

actual  knowledge  of  the  difficulties  of  the  situation  in 
general,  and  the  smallest  stocks  of  exact  information 
upon  the  particular  cases  of  which  they  complain. 

In  one  case,  among  many  others,  the  government  has 
shown  its  entire  readiness  to  be  fair,  whatever  friar  op- 
ponents might  think,  or  however  they  might  bare  their 


the  Filipino’s  point  of  view. 

‘ adamantine  breasts”  to  “blows”  of  religious  neutrality. 
In  early  October,  1901,  the  officers  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  for  American  people  selected  a good 
corner  lot  on  a principal  thoroughfare,  and  took  steps 
to  purchase  it  with  a view  to  erecting  thereupon  a house 
of  worship.  When  it  came  to  making  out  the  deed  it 
was  discovered  that  all  non-Catholic  religious  activity 


Government  and  Religious  Conditions.  349 

was  forbidden  in  the  most  definite  and  undoubted  fashion 
in  the  Penal  Code.  We  were  unwilling  to  go  on  without 
legislative  relief,  and  feared  that  time  would  be  lost  be- 
fore this  could  be  provided.  I laid  the  case  before  Gov- 
ernor Taft  late  one  Friday  afternoon,  stating  all  material 
facts  briefly,  and  asking  the  enactment  of  a law  making 
it  possible  for  all  Protestant  Churches  to  purchase,  hold, 
and  convey  real  estate  as  they  do  in  other  countries. 
After  a few  minutes  conversation  he  called  his  stenog- 
rapher, dictated  a law  which  follows  the  ordinary  "Re- 
ligious Society”  acts  in  the  several  States,  and  asked  that 
it  be  put  into  shape  for  presentation  to  the  first  legisla- 
tive session  of  the  Civil  Commission.  Before  noon  the 
next  day  it  had  been  enacted,  and  the  effects  of  three 
centuries  of  religious  bigotry,  as  applied  to  this  one  point, 
were  rolled  away ! 

The  police  and  judiciary  of  the  Philippines,  in  so 
far  as  they  are  American  in  their  personnel,  comprehend 
the  idea  of  religious  neutrality,  and  enforce  the  laws  in 
an  admirable  spirit  of  fair  play.  Some  of  the  Filipino 
police  and  judicial  force  also  merit  high  praise  for  im- 
partiality; but  in  many  cases  subordinate  police  and  judi- 
cial officials  are  yet  governed  by  partisan  ideas,  and  pro- 
tect Catholics  while  the  Protestants  are  left  to  the  ston- 
ing of  mobs,  the  hooting  of  the  rabble,  and  the  hate  of 
persecuting  padres. 

Our  members  have  been  imprisoned  in  almost  every 
place  in  which  work  has  been  opened.  The  charges  have 
always  proven  false,  and  orders  for  immediate  release 
have  been  given  in  all  cases.  The  police  who  arrested 
them  did  so  at  the  instance  of  friars  or  their  immediate 
sympathizers.  In  Hagonov,  Bulacan,  the  municipal 
secretary,  Senor  Cruz,  threatened  that  services  should 


35°  The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 

never  be  held  in  the  Methodist  chapel  which  was  being 
built  opposite  his  house.  On  July  26,  1903,  the  little 
place  was  dedicated.  All  the  hours  of  service  a band  of 
cheap  musicians  were  performing  in  or  near  his  house, 
with  evident  intention  of  breaking  up  the  service ; but 
we  said  nothing.  A month  later  a crowd  was  gathered, 
and,  with  tin  cans,  paddles,  drums,  horns,  and  a general 
uproar,  the  mob  in  the  street  in  front  of  the  chapel  pre- 
vented the  preaching  from  being  heard.  Our  missionary. 
Rev.  W.  A.  Goodell,  sent  for  a policeman,  who  said  that 
the  disturbance  was  in  the  street,  and  he  could  do  nothing 
to  prevent  streeet  merriment ! Mr.  Goodell  then  took  the 
names  of  at  least  thirty  of  the  chief  participants,  and,  on 
formal  complaint,  the  attorney-general’s  office  investi- 
gated the  case,  and  directed  the  prosecuting  attorney  for 
the  province  to  bring  the  offenders  to  trial.  He  is  a 
Filipino,  and  the  case  was  tried  before  a Filipino  justice; 
but  fifteen  of  the  party  were  found  guilty  and  fined  $10 
each  and  costs.  The  attitude  of  the  government  in  this 
case  has  had  a profound  influence  over  all  that  part  of 
the  country.  It  is  a matter  of  amazement  to  the  people 
to  find  that  principal  men  can  be  fined  like  common  taos 
for  disturbing  a Protestant  service.  In  Bataan  a native 
priest,  Primitivo  Baltasar,  snatched  a Testament  from 
the  hand  of  Senora  Maria  Apolonario,  a poor  woman 
who  was  reading  it  to  her  husband  as  lie  lav  in  the  last 
stages  of  cholera.  This  padre  tore  the  Bible  leaf  from 
leaf,  throwing  each  torn  scrap  into  the  fire,  and  declaring 
that  such  an  evil  book  would  send  her  soul  to  hell,  that 
the  soul  of  her  dying  husband  was  already  lost  from 
hearing  it,  and  that  lie  had  sickened  of  the  cholera  as  a 
just  punishment  from  God  for  reading  it.  The  woman 
had  him  arrested,  and  now  Rev.  Primitivo  Baltasar  is 
out  of  jail  by  virtue  of  a bond  for  $1,000  to  answer  in 


Government  and  Religious  Conditions.  351 


the  Superior  Court.  If  found  guilty,  the  fine  will  be  at 
least  $125,  and  may  be  $625. 

The  government  has  been  severely  criticised  for  its 
alleged  hostility  to  religious  matters  in  the  public  schools. 
There  is  more  ground  for  such  criticism  than  for  many 
others.  Still  it  should  be  remembered  what  almost  in- 
superable difficulties  hedged  their  way  in  establishing 
any  such  a system.  It  was  dinned  into  their  ears  on  all 
sides  that  the  entire  population  of  the  Philippines  was 
a unit  in  its  passionate  adhesion  to  the  Catholic  Church, 
and  that  the  parents  would  on  no  account  permit  their 
children  to  attend  schools  which  did  not  teach  the  Cath- 
olic religion.  This  we  all  know  now  w-as  a complete 
misstatement  of  fact.  As  will  be  shown  hereafter,  the 
Filipino  people  are  very  far  from  being  united  in  loyalty 
to  the  Catholic  Church.  The  government  was  also  as- 
sured bv  many  that  if  teachers  attended  Protestant 
churches  on  Sundays,  or  in  any  way  shewed  that  their 
personal  sympathies  were  non-Catholic,  the  schools 
would  be  immediately  deserted  by  all  the  children  of  the 
faithful.  It  was  felt  by  officials  that  the  schools  would 
do  indirect  good  to  a degree  almost  inconceivable  if  they 
could  only  hold  the  pupils  for  a few  years.  Hence  they 
were  not  in  sympathy  with  religious  work  on  the  part 
of  their  teachers.  A prominent  educational  official  left 
a train  lest  he  be  supposed  to  be  in  company  with  a 
Protestant  bishop  and  a missionary.  Circulars  might  be 
quoted  in  e.vtenso  to  show  the  attitude  of  the  department, 
but  one  or  two  cases  will  show  what  is  meant. 

One  of  the  most  prominent  teachers  in  Manila,  him- 
self a devout  Christian  gentleman,  and  one  long  accus- 
tomed to  take  active  part  in  Church  work,  was  asked  to 
address  the  men  at  the  Young  Men’s  Christian  Associa- 
tion. Mr.  Moses,  who  was  at  that  time  the  commissioner 


352  The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 

having  immediate  secretarial  charge  of  schools,  conveyed 
the  information  to  this  gentleman  that  the  address  as 
announced  in  the  local  dailies  would  better  not  be  de- 
livered, as  it  would  complicate  matters  in  the  department ! 
He  was  obeyed,  but  the  incident  caused  much  feeling. 
Here  was  a case  the  most  marked,  perhaps,  that  has  oc- 
curred in  which  an  official  clearly  “stood  so  straight  that 
he  leaned  over.”  He  exceeded  his  rights,  and  the  inci- 
dent should  have  had  a very  different  ending.  But  this 
was  the  act  of  one  man,  and  not  of  the  Commission  as  a 
whole.  However,  it  is  true  that  the  impression  was  prac- 
tically universal  among  the  entire  teaching  body  that  the 
government  put  a premium  upon  the  men  and  women 
who  were  non-religious,  to  put  it  mildly.  The  results  of 
this  policy  have  been  sad.  In  more  than  a score  of  cases 
personally  known  to  me  it  has  caused  the  religious  ship- 
wreck of  good  young  people.  They  understood  in  a 
general  wav  that  they  were  not  so  well  liked  and  not  so 
sure  of  their  posts  if  they  were  active  in  the  practice  of 
their  usual  habits  of  church-going  and  Scripture  study, 
and  by  little  and  little  they  lost  their  hold  upon  a Chris- 
tian life. 

This  attitude  of  the  Educational  Department  has  not 
aided  in  keeping  the  moral  tone  of  the  teaching  body  up 
to  normal  grade.  While,  as  a rule,  the  teachers  have 
held  a high  ideal  before  them,  it  is  a matter  for  regret 
that  there  is  so  much  Sabbath  desecration,  so  much  drink- 
ing, and  so  much  compliance  with  questionable  customs 
of  the  Filipino  people.  One  teacher,  a man  who  had  been 
professor  in  a Church  college  in  the  States,  and  an  active 
worker  in  the  Young  Men’s  Christian  Association  in 
every  city  and  town  in  which  he  had  lived,  takes  beer 
with  his  Filipino  hosts,  and  keeps  it  in  the  house  for  his 
guests,  and  has  been  led  to  do  this,  he  tells  me,  by  his 


Government  and  Reucious  Conditions. 


353 


desire  to  meet  the  wishes  of  the  department  that  he  make 
himself  one  with  the  people.  I am  quite  sure  that  he 
misunderstands  the  point  the  department  tried  to  make; 
but  it  is  clear  to  nearly  all  the  earnest  Christian  people 
in  the  Philippines  that,  while  this  attitude  of  extra-re- 
ligious neutality  has  not  attracted  students  to  the  schools, 
its  general  effect  on  the  morals  of  the  teaching  force  has 
been  unfortunate.  Over  and  over  again,  as  pastor  of  a 
Church  for  American  people,  mv  invitations  to  teachers 
to  attend  divine  services  lias  been  met  with  the  answer. 
“O,  you  know  the  department  does  not  want  us  to  be 
religious.”  It  is  to  be  profoundly  regretted  that  this  im- 
pression was  made.  It  has  helped  nothing  that  the  gov- 
ernment desired  should  be  helped,  and  has  hindered  the 
exertion  of  much  indirect  influence  for  the  best  ends  on 
the  part  of  teachers. 

It  is  to  be  deplored  that  so  many  of  the  prominent 
officials  of  the  Philippine  government,  from  the  governor 
down,  have  given  the  impression  almost  from  the  first 
that  attendance  upon  the  public  worship  of  God  was  not 
a part  of  the  duty  of  Christian  men  and  women.  I am 
not  prepared  to  allege  that  there  was  any  ulterior  mo- 
tive in  remaining  away  from  religious  services — such  as 
a desire  to  appear  liberal  in  matters  of  religion,  or  not 
to  alarm  a Catholic  constituency  by  too  prominent  proofs 
of  Protestant  tendencies — but.  from  whatever  cause  or 
motive,  the  fact  remains  that  the  great  majority  of  the 
leading  Philippine  officials  have  not  given  public  support 
by  their  example  to  the  sanctity  of  the  Day  of  Rest,  nor 
to  the  value  of  the  public  worship  of  God  as  a social  and 
moral  force  in  the  world.  I prefer  to  believe  that  this 
state  of  things  arose  from  the  regrettable  fact  that  the 
same  men  were  not  habitual  attendants  upon  the  services 
of  the  Christian  Church  before  coming  to  the  Philippines. 


23 


354  The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 

I would  find  it  difficult  to  express  my  opinion  of  an  offi- 
cial of  a government  such  as  this  one  who  would  delib- 
erately suppress  his  conscientious  convictions  for  the 
sake  of  currying  favor  with  any  party  or  any  interest. 
Neither  in  moral  fiber,  nor  ability  to  take  a long,  clear 
look  into  the  ultimate  significance  of  such  a course, 
would  such  a person  be  fitted  for  a task  so  solemn  as 
that  which  devolves  upon  every  man  associated  in  the 
work  of  giving  to  this  oppressed  people  a purer  national 
life.  Possibly  part  of  the  blame  lies  at  the  door  of  the 
Churches  in  America  for  not  sending  always  their  ablest 
men  to  preach  and  labor  among  them,  and  probably  if 
those  of  us  who  were  here  had  been  more  faithful  to  the 
religious  needs  of  the  men  we  criticised  for  their  failure 
to  throw  their  influence  into  the  balance  in  favor  of  pietv 
and  sobriety,  had  gone  to  them  in  kindliness  and  plain- 
ness, they  would  have  been  won  to  our  views.  Certain 
it  is  that  they  did  not  give  clerks  and  all  kinds  of  subor- 
dinate officials  to  understand  that  it  was  a wholesome 
thing  to  seek  the  restraints  and  inspirations  of  the  Chris- 
tian life  to  keep  them  up  to  the  levels  of  home  ideals 
amid  the  terrible  downward  pull  of  tropical  residence 
on  white  men  and  women. 

All  day  Sunday,  and  that  week  after  week,  the  Com- 
mission would  be  in  session,  grinding  out  business  either 
in  Manila  or  in  its  provincial  trips.  On  Sunday,  April 
21,  1901,  to  instance  one  case,  the  Commission  met  in 
public  session  in  Tacloban,  Island  of  Leyte,  and  discussed 
the  preliminaries  leading  to  the  organization  of  a provin- 
cial government  all  day — who  should  be  the  officials, 
rates  of  taxation,  school  matters,  and  such  other  topics 
as  were  necessary.  All  this  was  un-American,  and  calcu- 
lated to  give  a wrong  impression  of  the  best  type  of  our 


Government  and  Religious  Conditions. 


355 


national  life.  It  has  hurt  the  Commission.  It  has  hurt 
the  government.  It  gave  the  impression  to  lesser  men 
that  it  was  not  needful  to  comport  themselves  in  the 
Philippines  as  would  be  required  in  Ohio  or  Connecticut, 
and  defalcations  due  to  fast  living  have  been  alarmingly 
frequent.  An  American  President  could  never  hope  for 
re-election  if  he  were  so  openly  to  trample  on  the  sanc- 
tity of  the  Sabbath  as  it  has  been  the  custom  of  officials 
in  the  Philippines  to  do  from  the  very  first. 

There  has  been  a marked  change  for  the  better  within 
the  past  year.  The  wind  now  sits  in  another  quarter.  It 
is  now  considered  quite  the  correct  thing  to  attend  divine 
service  on  Sunday.  The  governor  himself  sometimes 
attends.  On  all  hands  there  is  a different  atmosphere. 
The  governor  gave  a public  dinner  to  all  the  members 
of  the  Evangelical  Union  in  Manila  in  January  last,  to 
meet  Dr.  Pentecost.  On  the  occasion  of  my  return  to 
the  Philippines  in  December,  the  governor  and  two  of 
the  American  commissioners,  and  many  prominent  offi- 
cials, were  present  at  our  reception,  and  I could  discern 
a great  change  in  the  attitude  of  officials  generally.  In 
the  latter  part  of  1902  the  complications  growing  out  of 
the  then  rapidly-spreading  Aglipay  movement  called  out 
a letter  from  Governor  Taft.  In  this  letter  he  said: 

“The  policy  of  complete  separation  of  Church  and 
State  is  enjoined  upon  those  who  serve  under  the  Amer- 
ican sovereignty.  This  does  not  mean  that  officers  of 
the  State  as  individuals  may  not  attend  church  and  take 
part  in  religious  controversies,  and  may  not  aid  the 
Churches  of  which  they  are  members ; but  it  does  mean 
that  no  officer  of  the  government  has  the  right  to  use 
his  official  position  or  the  authority  which  he  exercises 
as  an  official  to  further  the  interests  of  the  Church  of 
which  he  is  a member  as  against  the  rights  and  claims  of 


356  The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 


other  Churches  to  which  he  may  be  opposed  in  religious 
views.” 

Major  Elijah  W.  Halford,  in  an  address  before  the 
Evangelical  Union,  January  19,  1903,  said  with  reference 
to  this  most  generous  official  utterance  that  had  yet  been 
made  in  the  Philippines : 

“We  are  to  be  congratulated  that  finally  ‘the  open 
door'  has  swung  onward  even  to  include  within  its  in- 
vitation Protestantism  in  the  Philippine  Islands.  A man 
may  now  be  a Protestant  Christian  man,  letting  the  fact 
be  known  and  properly  emphasized,  without  fear  of  the 
gibbet  or  ostracism,  official  or  unofficial.  It  is  furthest 
from  the  desire  to  call  up  from  the  past  any  unpleasant 
remembrances,  but  it  is  matter  for  sincere  congratulation 
that  the  day  has  passed  when  one,  more  or  less  directly 
related  to  the  government,  can  not  ride  upon  the  same 
railway  train  with  a Protestant  bishop  and  clergyman, 
and  continue  persona  grata  with  the  powers  that  be.  The 
day  is  passed,  and  passed  forever,  when  a man  in  any 
wise  related  to  the  government  will  not  be  permitted  to 
speak  before  a respectable,  reputable  Protestant  assem- 
blage, upon  even  a non-religious  topic.  Who  knows — 
we  may  not  be  too  sanguine — but  it  may  be  permitted 
to  a lowly  servant  of  the  government  in  an  humble  ca- 
pacity to  give  a cup  of  cold  water,  or  extend  the  hospi- 
tality of  a night’s  lodging,  even  to  a Protestant  mission- 
ary, without  violating  the  unwritten  law.  I thank  God, 
and  congratulate  you,  mv  fellow  men  and  women  in  the 
kingdom  and  patience  of  Jesus  Christ  upon  the  changed 
conditions.” 

Religion  is  the  mightiest  agent  for  controlling  the  pas- 
sions of  men.  True  religion  is  better  dependence  for 
public  order  than  the  bayonets  of  an  army.  No  more 
profound  mistake  could  be  made  by  any  official  of  any 
government  than  that  of  ignoring  or  opposing  the  estab- 
lishment and  maintenance  of  this  matchless  force  in  every 
country.  Upon  a profound  sense  of  religious  obligation 


Government  and  Religious  Conditions.  357 


depend  individual  integrity  and  national  honor.  No  rea- 
sonable Protestant  would  demand  that  all  officials  should 
attend  any  particular  Church ; but  that  those  who  are  set 
in  high  places  of  power  should  acknowledge  God,  is  not 
an  unreasonable  expectation.  Unless  they  do  so  it  will 
be  in  vain  that  they  look  for  probity  and  trustworthiness 
in  those  who  will  follow  their  powerful  example. 


MOUNTAIN  PINES,  NEAR  BAGUIO,  THE  NEW 
SUMMER  CAPITAL. 


CHAPTER  XX. 


Why  is  Protestantism  in  the  Philippines? 

Within  three  months  from  that  memorable  Sunday 
in  May,  1898,  on  which  Commodore  Dewey  dashed  the 
Spanish  fleet  in  pieces  “with  a rod  of  iron,”  representa- 
tives of  several  missionary  societies  of  the  United  States 
were  consulting  as  to  the  wisest  and  most  effective  means 
of  establishing  Protestantism  in  the  newly-opened  Phil- 
ippine Islands.  They  were  seers  in  a literal  sense.  They 
saw  the  United  States  must  take  and  carry  the  role  of 
liberator  and  deliverer  among  the  Filipino  people  whose 
sovereign  power  had  passed  into  her  hands,  and  laid 
their  course  accordingly.  Pursuant  to  plans  entered  into 
at  that  conference,  and  those  which  have  been  framed 
later,  Protestantism  is  in  the  Philippines.  It  is  preach- 
ing, teaching,  and  building,  with  every  indication  of  a 
purpose  to  remain  and  become  a permanent  factor  in 
the  future  of  the  Filipino  people. 

From  many  sources  cjuestions  are  asked  as  to  why  this 
has  been  done.  It  is  to  be  expected  that  Rome  is  not 
pleased  that  it  should  be  so.  It  is  not  wholly  a surprise 
that  some  irreligious  people  who,  like  Gallio,  care  for 
none  of  these  things,  should  question  the  wisdom  or  the 
charity  of  such  a course ; but  questions  come  from  offi- 
cials and  from  those  whom  one  might  have  reason  to  re- 
gard as  enlightened  and  earnest  Christians,  in  some  good 
degree  abreast  of  the  religious  life  and  thought  of  the 

353 


Why  is  Protestantism  in  Philippines?  359 


modern  world.  To  all  these  it  will  be  well  to  make  a 
serious  answer  to  the  question  which  forms  the  caption 
of  this  chapter — “Why  is  Protestantism  in  the  Philip- 
pines ?’’ 

Protestantism  is  not  in  the  Philippines  to  avenge  the 
wrongs  wreaked  upon  those  who  espoused  her  principles 
before  her  advent.  By  statutes  framed  to  accomplish 
that  precise  end,  all  teaching  of  Protestant  doctrine  was 
made  a crime  under  the  Spanish  regime.  Sections  219- 
228  of  the  Codigo  Penal,  or  Penal  Code,  enacted  by 
Spain  for  the  Archipelago,  makes  preaching,  teaching, 
or  propagating,  in  any  public  or  private  manner,  of  any 
doctrine  other  than  that  established  by  the  State,  a crime 
to  be  punished  by  heavy  fines,  or  imprisonment  at  hard 
labor,  or  both.  Under  that  law,  with  all  the  resources 
of  the  civil  arm  at  their  command,  the  ecclesiastical  au- 
thorities made  life  a burden  to  all  men  who  longed  to 
know  for  themselves  the  truths  of  the  Word  of  God,  or 
to  express  in  their  own  way  their  love  and  adoration  to 
the  Father  of  their  spirits.  Deportations,  imprisonments, 
and  martyrdom  itself,  was  meted  out  with  no  sparing 
hand.  But  those  dark  chapters  are  written.  They  are 
history.  None  of  our  efforts  can  change  a line  or  letter 
of  the  verdict  passed  upon  them.  Protestantism  has  no 
desire  to  usurp  the  throne  of  judgment,  but  leaves  that 
to  Him  who  will  judge  all  men  according  to  the  deeds 
done  in  the  body,  according  to  what  they  have  done, 
whether  they  be  good  or  evil. 

Protestantism  is  not  in  the  Philippines  to  gloat  over 
the  faults  which  may  be  proven  to  have  existed  in  the 
lives  and  methods  of  those  who  have  been  religious 
leaders  of  the  Filipino  people.  Its  leaders  solemnly  de- 
clare that  such  faults  existed,  and  adduce  proofs  when 
partisans  of  the  friars  say  that  they  had  no  sin.  That 


360  The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 

must  be  done.  The  world  has  a right  to  know,  and  must 
know,  what  has  been  the  record  of  these  men  who  now 
claim  that  they  are  deeply  wronged,  and  that  they  have 
been  good  under-shepherds  of  the  flock  of  Christ.  It 
must  be  made  plain  that  this  is  not  the  case,  but  that  “with 
force  and  cruelty  they  have  ruled  them.”  But  this  need 
not  be  done  often,  ami  need  not  and  will  not  be  a prom- 
inent part  of  the  program  of  Protestantism  in  the  Phil- 
ippines. Such  faults  and  sins  as  may  be  proved  grieve 
us  as  fellow-men  and  fellow-workers  for  the  moral  and 
social  well-being  of  our  common  humanity.  Only  so  far 
as  the  interests  of  truthful  history  are  concerned  will 
Protestantism  speak  out  on  these  matters.  Such  speak- 
ing is  no  part  of  her  work  as  a whole. 

Nor  are  the  leaders  of  Protestantism  ignorant  of  the 
good  that  there  is  in  Roman  Catholic  literature,  hvmnol- 
ogy,  and  doctrine  and  history.  Together  Catholic  and 
Protestant  sing  the  soaring  hymns  of  religious  praise  and 
adoration  written  by  Bernard  of  Cluny,  and  Faber,  and 
Newman.  In  literature  of  the  devotional  life  we  would 
be  poor  indeed  without  a Kempis,  and  Rodriguez,  and 
Fenelon. 

“Through  the  Dark  Ages  of  semi-paganism  in  Europe 
the  Roman  Catholic  Church,  in  spite  of  its  awful  corrup- 
tion, kept  alive  the  belief  in  God,  in  the  Christian  re- 
demption, in  the  future  life.  Abominations  have  crept 
in,  hideous  superstitions  have  become  part  of  its  life, 
much  important  truth  has  become  corrupted ; but  there  is 
no  body  of  Christians  in  the  world  that  holds  the  great 
fundamental  truths  of  Christianity  regarding  the  Divine 
Personality,  the  Supreme  Divinity  of  Christ,  the  opera- 
tion of  the  Holv  Spirit,  and  the  supernatural  life,  more 
firmly  that  Roman  Catholicism.  Whatever  there  is  of 
mystery,  of  height,  and  of  inspiring  power  in  the  Prot- 
estant doctrine  of  the  Incarnation  or  of  the  Trinity,  is 
found  in  Romanism  as  well ; whatever  of  solemn  motive 


METHODIST  CHAPEL  AT  MELABON. 

( Built  by  owner  of  cock  pits  as  a free  gift.  lie  is  now  free  from  that  business,  and  a probationer  in  the 

Annual  Conference. ) 


Why  is  Protestantism  in  Philippines ? 363 


and  warning  is  found  in  the  doctrine  of  the  Fall,  and  of 
human  depravity,  and  of  the  judgment  for  which  we  wait, 
is  common  alike  to  Romanism  and  Protestantism.”* 

It  was  a Catholic  who  wrote, 

“ There ’s  a wideness  in  God’s  mercy 
Like  the  wideness  of  the  sea ; 

There ’s  a kindness  in  His  justice 
That  is  more_tlian  liberty. 

For  the  love  of  God  is  broader 
Than  the  measure  of  man's  mind ; 

And  the  heart  of  the  Eternal 
Is  most  wonderfully  kind. 

If  our  love  were  but  more  simple, 

We  should  take  Him  at  His  word, 

And  our  lives  would  he  all  sunshine 
In  the  sweetness  of  our  Lord.” 

Nor  is  Protestantism  concerned  simply  to  wage  a 
war  of  denunciation  against  the  errors  in  doctrine  which 
so  grievously  distort  the  message  of  Christ.  Mere  nega- 
tion accomplishes  nothing.  It  may  destroy,  but  build- 
ing is  the  sore  need  of  the  hour.  Like  our  Lord,  these 
new  religious  forces  “come  not  to  destroy,  but  to  fulfill.” 

In  prosecuting  this  positive  program  of  intellectual, 
spiritual,  moral,  and  social  fulfillment,  Protestantism  is 
not  concerned  chiefly  to  carry  on  a war  of  mere  proselv- 
tism.  True,  the  Churches  organized  under  the  new 
movement  receive,  and  will  continue  to  receive,  members 
on  profession  of  faith.  But  that  is  not  their  first  aim, 
nor  in  success  in  this  direction  do  they  place  their  main 
hope  of  a broad  and  enduring  success.  If  error  and 
darkness  can  be  put  away  from  the  old  Church  which 
has  so  long  held  this  field,  and  if  those  who  are  within 
her  fold  can  be  quickened  by  a godly  emulation  to  live  lives 
more  in  keeping  with  the  teachings  of  Jesus,  the  leaders 


^Editorial  in  Indian  Witness , August  6,  1903. 


364  The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 

of  Protestantism  will  rejoice  with  even  a deeper  glad- 
ness than  over  the  mere  swelling  of  their  own  lists  of 
members.  If  the  Church  of  Rome  would  only  puiifv 
herself  of  those  gross  errors  which  hide  the  face  of 
Christ  from  the  souls  for  whom  He  died,  that  result 
would  be  hailed  by  Protestants  with  a joy  that  could  not 
be  measured. 

Protestantism  is  in  the  Philippines  for  the  same 
reason  that  she  is  in  all  countries  of  Europe  and  South 
America — because  her  testimony  is  needed  to  counteract 
those  errors  of  Roman  Catholic  teaching  which  put  in 
peril  the  salvation  of  the  individual  sinner,  and  thus 
jeopard  the  whole  program  of  Christ  for  this  world  as 
well  as  the  next. 

Protestantism  is  in  the  Philippines  to  exalt  the  Word 
of  God.  The  most  deadly,  because  the  most  fundamental, 
error  of  Catholicism  is  her  relentless  antagonism  to  the 
Bible  and  to  its  unhindered  use  by  all  people.  All  the 
people  heard  Christ.  Each  individual  formed  his  own 
conclusions  as  to  what  was  meant  by  those  words  of  life 
that  He  spake.  He  inspired  holy  men  to  write  down 
such  of  these  words  as  were  needed  for  our  learning,  and 
said  to  us  that  His  Word  was  spirit  and  was  life;  yet 
this  professedly  Christian  Church  will  not  permit  the 
people — the  common  people  who  heard  Christ  gladly 
when  He  was  in  the  world — read  PI  is  words,  now  that 
He  is  no  longer  here  to  speak  to  them.  Worse  than  this: 
Rome  reverses  the  Divine  order.  Instead  of  making  the 
Word  of  God  the  source  of  authority  and  rule  of  guid- 
ance for  the  Church,  she  ordains  that  the  Church  shall 
be  the  fountain  and  origin  of  authority  to  decide  what 
portions  of  the  Word  of  God  shall  be  made  known  to 
the  Church,  and  when  and  by  whom.  Protestantism 
says  that  the  Church  was  born  from  the  loins  of  the  in- 


Why  is  Protestantism  in  Phiuim>inks?  365 

spired  Word,  and  owes  all  its  existence  and  inspiration 
to  that  Word ; that  in  the  day  that  Rome  reverses  that 
order  she  chokes  the  springs  of  Divine  truth,  and  the 
solitary  places  are  not  made  like  a watered  garden. 
Protestantism  teaches  the  Scriptures  to  all  the  people, 
and  tells  them  that  in  those  words  of  their  Heavenly 
Father  they  will  find  how  to  worship  Him  who  seeketh 
those  who  worship  in  truth  and  in  spirit.  Rome  teaches 
the  people  that  the  P>ible  is  a book  full  of  deadly  danger 
to  untaught  souls,  and  only  such  portions  are  helpful  as 
a human  priesthood  approves,  thus  setting  the  decisions 
of  a priest  against  the  words  of  the  living  God.  Such 
an  error  goes  to  the  very  roots  of  faith.  It  must  be  an- 
tagonized wherever  it  is  found.  Ultimately  civilization 
itself  becomes  impossible  if  the  fountain  of  all  light  and 
truth  and  salvation  is  to  be  fenced  away  from  the  people 
for  whom  Christ  opened  its  healing  streams.  Protestant- 
ism may  be  criticised  for  establishing  herself  where  such 
fundamental  errors  are  commonly  taught ; but  she  must 
persist.  The  welfare  of  her  critics,  even,  demands  that 
she  continue  to  bear  her  testimony  at  all  cost  and  in  all 
places,  until  all  the  people  shall  have  it  in  their  power 
to  read  God’s  Word  in  their  own  tongue.  In  the  work 
carried  on  by  the  leaders  of  this  host  of  workers  very 
little  will  be  said  in  antagonism  of  the  position  of  Rome 
on  this  point.  But  by  all  possible  means,  and  with  fer- 
vent prayer  following  the  work,  they  will  meet  the  cry- 
ing need  of  the  people  for  the  Scriptures.  They  will 
‘‘fulfill”  the  plan  of  God,  and  not  “destroy”  by  labored 
argument  the  error  of  Rome.  Such  fulfillment  is  the 
surest  and  swiftest  means  of  destruction.  Its  method  is 
regnant  in  all  realms  of  both  nature  and  grace. 

Testimony  to  the  vital  error  of  Roman  Catholic  teach- 
ing as  to  the  sacrificial  work  of  Christ  is  an  absolute 


366  The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 

necessity  to  the  interests  of  truth.  With  all  possible 
finality  the  Scriptures  tell  us  that  Christ  died  for  our  sins, 
and  in  that  death  “bore  our  sins  in  his  own  body  on  the 
tree.”  Paul  says  “Christ  was  once  offered.”  In  an- 
other place  he  says,  “But  now  once  in  the  end  of  the 
world  hath  He  [Christ]  appeared  to  put  away  sin  by 
the  sacrifice  of  Himself and  in  yet  another  passage, 
“But  this  man,  after  he  had  offered  one  sacrifice  for  sins 
forever,  sat  down  on  the  right  hand  of  God.”  In  the 
plainest  conflict  with  this  is  the  teaching  and  practice  of 
Roman  Catholicism.  She  teaches  that  the  sacrifice  of 
Christ  is  offered  in  all  its  fullness — the  sacrifice  of  the 
literal  body  and  blood  of  the  Son  of  God — every  time 
a priest  performs  the  ceremony  called  mass.  A man  of 
like  passions  with  ourselves,  according  to  this  amazing 
doctrine,  makes  the  Incarnate  Lord  of  Glory  from  a 
simple  wafer,  and  offers  his  sacrifice  of  redemption  for 
a world’s  sin  every  time  he  says  mass ! The  blasphemy 
of  it  is  not  more  apparent  than  its  utter  lack  of  conformity 
to  Scripture  and  sound  reason.  The  practical  conse- 
quence of  the  doctrine  is,  that  the  salvation  of  individuals 
is  put  into  the  hands  of  a priesthood,  and  that  priesthood 
thereby  lifted  to  a height  of  power  over  mind  and  con- 
science which  only  God  himself  can  rightly  hold.  It 
puts  a man  between  the  sinner  and  his  Lord.  It  lays  the 
foundation  upon  which  the  entire  edifice  of  sacerdotalism 
is  reared.  Protestantism  can  not  rest  while  such  mon- 
strous perversions  of  the  redeeming  work  of  the  Son  of 
God  arc  set  before  people  as  Divine  truth.  Its  people 
can  not  but  speak  the  simple  yet  glorious  truth  to  all 
men  that  no  priest  or  angel  or  saint  or  ceremony  can 
shut  one  poor  sinner  away  from  the  Redeemer ; that 
Christ  died  once  for  all.  and  that,  by  penitence  and  faith 
in  this  finished  work  of  atonement  offered  without  spot 


CHURCH  INTERIOR  WITH  WORSHIPERS. 


T3»’ 


Why  is  Protestantism  in  Philippines?  369 

unto  God,  they  may  eacli  be  directly  forgiven  and  as- 
sured of  their  adoption  into  the  spiritual  family  of  God. 

In  logical  harmony  with  this  assertion  of  priestly 
power  to  give  or  withhold  salvation  to  men  to  whom  it  is 
“the  gift  of  God,"  is  the  doctrine  of  Rome  regarding  the 
Church  of  Christ : 

“The  Roman  Catholic  Church  is  a close  corporation 
consisting  of  the  pope  (the  so-called  Head  of  the  Church ), 
the  cardinals,  archbishops,  bishops,  and  priests.  These, 
and  these  only,  constitute  the  Church.  The  so-called 
laity,  or  common  people  not  in  the  priesthood,  are  the 
mere  subjects  and  beneficiaries  of  the  Church,  entirely 
dependent  upon  the  priesthood  for  any  and  all  spiritual 
benefit.  This  priesthood  holds  the  keys  of  salvation  in 
its  hands.  No  soul  may  or  can  have  access  to  God,  or 
receive  any  grace  from  God,  except  through  this  priest- 
hood (clothed,  as  they  claim,  with  supernatural  power), 
which  becomes  the  only  mediating  agency  between  God 
and  man.  Now,  this  whole  theory  and  claim  Protestants 
utterly  deny  and  repudiate,  holding  that  the  Church  is 
composed  of  all  believers  without  distinction.  That  One 
is  our  Master,  even  Christ;  and  that  all  believers  are 
brethren.  They  utterly  deny  the  sacerdotal  character  of 
the  priesthood,  and  teach  that  access  to  God  is  open  to 
all  men  through  Jesus  Christ,  who  is  the  only  Mediator 
between  God  and  man  ; that  ministers  of  religion,  whether 
preachers  or  administrators,  are  but  brethren  set  apart 
on  account  of  peculiar  gifts  which  better  qualify  them  to 
do  the  work  of  the  ministry.  They  are  not  ‘lords  over 
God’s  heritage,’  but  the  servants  of  God  and  their  breth- 
ren.  * 

Rome  postulates  mental  incompetence  in  the  race,  and 
then  works  upward  from  that  basic  level.  Her  dogmas 
say,  in  effect,  that  men  left  to  their  own  unaided  judg- 
ments run  into  all  kinds  of  error ; therefore,  God  has 
founded  one  institution  in  the  world  in  which  religious 

®Dr.  George  F.  Pentecost. 

24 


37°  The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 

certitude  can  always  be  found.  The  Roman  Catholic 
Church,  unchangeable  and  infallible,  offers  a haven  for 
the  storm-stressed  sons  of  men.  Drop  anchor  within  this 
haven,  says  the  Romanist,  and  you  are  safe.  But  you 
must  surrender  mind,  will,  judgment,  conscience — all. 
Intellect  can  not  be  made  a judge  or  an  arbiter  of  your 
course.  To  ask  so  much  is  to  dig  up  the  base  of  the 
edifice.  Catholicism  offers  to  be  a director  of  conscience 
and  an  arbiter  of  truth.  What  it  asks  of  those  who  enter 
is  not  faith,' but  the  abjurement  of  faith  in  the  New  Tes- 
tament sense,  and  the  acceptance  of  the  decisions  of  the 
Church  as  the  end  of  the  law  on  all  things.  Such  a 
course  kills  individuality.  When  Spain  had  killed  the 
Reformation  in  her  own  borders,  she  had  killed  indi- 
vidual initiative  in  the  highest  realms  of  thought,  and 
the  blight  has  been  on  her  fields  and  mines,  factories,  and 
her  offices  of  state  from  that  day.  Rome  kills  individ- 
ualism. She  reduces  all  men  who  accept  her  teaching 
to  abject  and  unreasoning  obedience  to  her  dictates.  Her 
scientists  must  not  think  contrary  to  Catholic  dogma. 
Her  authors  must  not  write  contrary  to  dogma.  Her 
priests  must  have  no  mind  and  know  nothing  except  the 
infallible  decrees  of  the  man  who  happens  for  the  time 
being  to  fill  the  papacy.  Proofs  could  be  quoted  by  the 
chapter,  but  one  case  will  illustrate  my  meaning.  It  is 
a letter  taken  from  the  Chicago  Tribune.  It  is  written 
by  a member  of  the  Catholic  Church,  and  evidently  under 
pressure : 

“Chicago,  April  21,  1903. 

“Editor  of  The  Tribune : 

“On  Sunday,  May  4,  1902,  I acted  as  the  chairman 
of  a meeting  to  protest  against  the  legitimate  removal  of 
the  Rev.  J.  J.  O’Meara  from  St.  Agatha's  Parish  to  Free- 
port, 111.,  and  in  order  to  make  public  reparation  for  my 


Wiiy  is  Protestantism  in  Philippines? 


37i 


unwarranted  action  as  a Catholic,  I kindly  beg  you  to 
afford  me  space  for  the  following  apology : 

“Knowing  as  I now  do  that  mv  action  was  ill-advised, 
and  at  the  time  I uttered  words  which,  after  reflection,  I 
find  were  unwarranted,  I desire  to  state  that  I did  not 
know  at  that  time,  nor  do  I at  the  present,  of  anything 
which  would  reflect  aught  hut  credit  upon  those  who 
were  in  authority,  nor  did  I know  the  reason  for  such 
removal. 

“I.  therefore,  wish  that  it  be  thoroughly  understood 
that  I know  naught  against  anv  one  in  authority,  and 
stand  ready  at  all  times,  as  a devoted  adherent  of  ‘Mother 
Church’  to  make  amends  for  any  and  all  evil  effects 
which  my  action  may  have  caused ; and  promise  that 
whenever  the  constituted  authorities  deem  fit  to  issue  a 
command  that  I will  bow  in  humble  obedience,  with  the 
firm  belief  that  whatever  may  be  done  is  done  for  the  best 
interests  of  the  Church  and  to  the  advantage  of  her 
members.  Edward  A.  Kennedy.” 

Can  any  sane  man  believe  that  a system  which  can 
produce  such  blind  and  abject  submission  of  intelligent 
men  to  ecclesiastical  authority  can  be  productive  of  good 
social  or  political  results?  One  blushes  for  the  manhood 
of  Edward  A.  Kennedy,  and  all  other  men  who  allow 
their  divinely  given  reasons  to  be  thus  bound  and  dragged 
captive  at  the  wheels  of  a human  organization.  No 
wonder  that  Dr.  Horton  says : 

“Men  will  increasingly,  year  by  year,  without  heat  or 
passion,  but  with  a will  that  turns  not  back,  reject  the 
system  which  is  not  Christianity,  but  a growth,  a para- 
sitic growth,  which  has  intertwined  itself  with  that  im- 
perishable plant  that  is  yet  to  overshadow  all  nations.” 

If  the  fond  hopes  of  our  martyred  President,  and 
those  of  the  leaders  of  our  nation  to-dav  are  ever  realized 
for  the  Filipino  people,  and  the  day  comes  when  they 
shall  assume  among  the  nations  of  the  earth  that  sep- 
arate and  equal  station  to  which  some  of  their  best  men 


372  The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 

believe  they  will  some  day  be  entitled  and  able  to  main- 
tain, their  leaders  will  be  men  who  “without  heat  or 
passion,  but  with  a will  that  turns  not  back,”  have 
stepped  outside  the  pale  of  an  organization  which  crushes 
individuality,  and  puts  iron  clamps  upon  the  minds  of 
its  members.  Romanism  can  not  furnish  such  men.  Her 
method  makes  it  impossible.  Roman  Catholicism  has  not 
produced  a great  invention,  nor  a great  author,  nor  one 
commanding  statesman  within  three  centuries.  No  Re- 
public ever  stood  firm  except  those  whose  voters  had 
learned  and  practiced  intellectual  liberty  in  matters  of 
religion.  Mexico  is  yet  only  semi-Republican.  Protes- 
tantism will  render  a fundamental  service  to  the  Phil- 
ippine State  that  is  to  be  in  two  ways : it  insists  upon  a 
high  morality  in  its  membership,  bidding  them  to  have 
done  with  the  vices  which  enfeeble  and  debase  men,  and 
so  contributes  a purer  type  of  citizen  for  that  State ; and 
second,  it  admits  laity  to  an  equal  share  of  the  govern- 
ment of  ecclesiastical  affairs,  and  in  the  offices  given 
them  by  the  franchises  of  their  brethren,  or  the  appoint- 
ment of  their  brother,  the  pastor,  they  learn  how  to  carry 
on  the  larger  concerns  of  the  State.  In  short,  the  method 
of  Protestantism  is  to  exalt  the  individual ; to  teach  him 
that  it  was  for  him  that  Christ  died  and  rose  again,  and 
that  he  may  find  salvation  without  the  aid  of  priest  or 
sacrament,  and  then  help  him  to  realize  his  own  complete 
manhood  in  the  unfettered  pursuit  of  all  knowledge  and 
in  the  service  of  God  and  his  fellow-men.  It  was  men  so 
taught  and  so  led  out  into  independence  of  thought  and 
action  who  subdued  a tyrannical  king  under  Cromwell, 
successfully  resisted  colonial  oppression  in  the  days  of 
the  infancy  of  our  Republic,  and  settled  the  relation  of 
States  to  the  Union,  and  the  holding  of  slaves  under  our 
flag  in  the  Civil  War.  It  is  sheer  madness  to  suppose 


FIRST  TRAINING-SCHOOL  FOR  FILIPINO  WOMEN. 

Miss  Spaulding  in  foreground,  Miss  I’arkes  above  and  behind  ten 
girls.  Opened  June,  1903. 


Why  is  Protestantism  in  Philippines? 


375 


that  such  citizenship  can  he  secured  from  the  narrow 
molds  into  which  Rome  runs  all  her  ecclesiastical  mate- 
rial. All  history  bears  witness  against  its  possibility. 
The  experience  of  Europe  and  South  American  States 
are  but  foot-notes  to  the  pages  of  European  history. 
Protestantism  has  an  errand  in  the  Philippines.  She  must 
lift  the  individual  to  his  feet,  and  bid  him  take  his  place 
as  a son  of  God  and  a partner  in  God’s  work  for  his 
world.  She  must  do  this  for  llis  sake,  and  for  the  sake 
of  society  and  the  State. 

Protestantism  is  in  the  Philippines  because  it  is  not 
good  for  Churches  to  be  alone.  Competition  in  religion 
may  seem  a shocking  thing  to  some  minds,  but  it  has 
served  the  ends  of  greater  purity  of  teaching  and  life 
from  the  days  of  Pharisees  and  Sadducees  to  the  times 
of  Catholic  and  Protestant.  One  of  the  Philippine  Civil 
Commissioners  said  in  a session  of  that  body,  when  a 
petition  from  the  Methodists  of  Manila  for  a long  lease 
on  certain  government  property  formerly  administered  by 
friars  was  before  them  for  consideration:  “I  shall  vote 

to  grant  the  petition.  I am  a Catholic,  but  I believe  in 
competition  in  religion.”  It  is  not  good  for  man  to  be 
alone.  That  is  true  of  him  as  an  individual,  and  equally 
true  of  him  in  his  organizations  for  social  or  religious 
ends.  Monopolies  become  bigoted.  Catholicism  has  had 
its  own  way  in  the  Philippines  for  three  centuries,  and 
she  is  not  so  healthfully  prosperous  here  as  she  is  in 
lands  where  other  faiths  have  lived  by  her  side,  and  ex- 
erted the  pull  of  their  example  upon  her  doctrine  and 
spirit.  It  will  be  a tonic  for  Catholicism  to  have  the 
Protestant  Churches  by  her  side.  She  will  purge  out  some 
of  the  bad  doctrinal  leaven  that  has  been  spoiling  her 
measures  of  Filipino  meal.  She  will  scrape  some  barna- 
cles from  her  hull  in  the  shape  of  questionable  and  im- 


376  The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 

moral  courses  among  her  priesthood.  All  this  will  be 
painful,  and  her  members  and  leaders  will  cry  out  against 
the  process.  Surgery  is  always  painful.  Yet  we  can  not 
do  without  surgery. 

Is  Protestantism  disturbing  the  religious  peace  of 
the  Philippines?  On  the  alleged  ground  of  such  disturb- 
ance, some  earnest  people  are  distressed  that  the  move- 
ment has  begun.  But  do  they  know  where  there  is  any 
religious  peace  in  the  Philippines?  The  fact  is,  that  the 
Protestant  leader  who  goes  wisely  and  constructively 
about  his  work  finds  hundreds  and  thousands  of  earnest 
souls  who  have  not  now,  and  who  never  did  have,  re- 
ligious peace.  They  hunger  for  it.  They  welcome,  as  a 
very  angel  of  God,  the  Protestant  with  his  Scriptures, 
and  his  simple  message  of  attainable,  conscious  salvation 
in  this  world  for  all  who  repent  and  believe  on  tbe  Christ. 
Who  does  not  know  that  the  claim  that  the  Filipino  people 
are  “entirely  Catholic,”  as  the  pope  solemnly  assured 
Governor  Taft  in  his  correspondence  about  the  friar 
lands,  is  a misstatement  of  the  facts?  It  is  said  with  much 
emphasis  that  the  disloyalty  of  the  Filipino  Catholic  is 
against  the  friar,  but  not  against  the  Church.  But  when 
the  recent  history  of  the  Philippines  is  dispassionately 
sifted,  and  when  the  attitude  of  the  population  that  would 
kill  forty  friars,  all  of  them  serving  under  the  orders  of 
the  Church  to  which  their  murderers  are  said  to  be  un- 
swervingly loyal ; when  they  imprison  four  hundred  more, 
and  chafe  like  tigers  in  a net  to  think  that  it  was  im- 
possible to  kill  all  the  latter  as  they  had  killed  the  former, 
it.  will  appear  how  loyal  they  arc  to  the  organization  send- 
ing and  supporting  these  offending  priests!  When  it  is 
considered  that  the  Filipino  people  have  been  buying 
Bibles  at  the  rate  of  more  than  five  thousand  a month  for 
every  month  since  the  beginning  of  1902,  in  spite  of  the 


Why  is  Protestantism  in  Philippines? 


377 


burning  denunciation  of  all  who  dare  to  buy  them,  ut- 
tered by  priests  and  bishops  and  Church  periodicals,  al- 
most daily,  threatening  their  souls  with  the  torments  of 
hell  after  death,  and  intimating  that  the  full  weight  of 
ecclesiastical  disabilities,  plus  cholera  and.  smallpox  and 
the  death  of  their  cattle — all  sorts  of  heathen  curses  on 
basket  and  store — would  light  on  them  in  this  world  if 
they  persisted  in  their  course,  it  can  be  seen  that  this  plea 
of  a solid  Catholic  population  is  without  foundation.  The 
Protestant  does  not  need  to  proselyte.  He  finds  an  eager 
constituency  waiting  him.  Thousands  of  natives,  men 
and  women,  are  receiving  Protestant  Christianity  eagerly, 
joyously.  They  sing  its  soul-stirring  hymns ; they  are 
reading  its  vernacular  Scriptures ; they  are  meeting  day 
after  day  in  little  companies  for  mutual  inspiration  and 
help.  They  come  miles  to  services,  on  foot  across  rice- 
paddies,  and  in  rain  and  darkness.  They  entertain 
Protestant  ministers  in  their  homes,  and  feed  them  with 
the  best  that  the  neighborhood  affords.  They  are  not 
loyal  to  the  Church  as  a people.  Protestantism  comes 
not  to  disturb  a condition  of  religious  peace,  but  to  quiet 
a condition  of  religious  unrest.  Protestantism  comes  to 
bring  true  peace  by  bringing  that  “righteousness”  which 
St.  Paul  declares  must  always  precede  both  “peace  and 
joy  in  the  Holv  Ghost.”  (Rom.  xiv,  17.) 

There  will  be  turmoil  at  the  first,  and  the  appearance 
of  unseemly  strife  ; but  it  is  the  inevitable  clash  of  opinion, 
and  out  of  it  will  come  the  larger  purpose  of  the  good 
God  of  us  all  for  people  who  have  had  but  three  centuries’ 
lift  from  practical  barbarism,  but  who  show,  by  their 
rapid  strides  under  conditions  far  from  favorable,  what 
may  be  expected  when  they  find  Jesus  Christ  in  the  full- 
ness of  His  power  to  save,  and  enter  into  all  the  fullness 
of  life  which  He  came  to  give. 


CHAPTER  XXI. 


Tiie  Religious  Situation — A General  View. 

Fundamental  religious  conceptions  undergo  change 
very  slowly.  In  some  triumphant  future  of  Pentecostal 
power  such  as  has  not  yet  rested  upon  the  Church  of 
Christ,  it  will  probably  be  true  that  a nation  will  be  born 
in  a day,  and  that  this  birth  will  be  into  a life  so  utterly 
different  from  that  out  of  which  the  converts  have  come, 
that  they  will  leave  their  old  conceptions  “by  life’s  un- 
resting sea,”  never  to  resume  them  again.  But  the  his- 
tory of  religious  thought  bears  many  testimonies  to  the 
conclusion  that  evolutionary  processes  more  or  less  rapid 
have  controlled  in  the  development  of  the  religious  con- 
sciousness of  peoples.  The  postulates  of  Platonic  thought 
persisted  in  Christian  theology  long  after  New  Testament 
times.  The  fiery  evangelism  which  swept  the  Goths  and 
Vandals  into  a professedly  Christian  faith  left  them  in 
possession  of  much  of  their  gloomy  and  severe  concep- 
tions of  Deitv  and  of  human  relationships.  Druidism  left 
its  dark  trail  across  centuries  of  teaching  in  Christian 
England. 

While  it  is  true  that  six  millions  of  the  Filipino  people 
are  counted  as  Roman  Catholics,  it  is  yet  true  that,  to  a 
far  greater  degree  than  is  commonly  known,  they  yet 
retain  the  fundamental  notions  of  God  and  the  controlling 
ideals  of  their  idolatrous  faith.  In  proof  of  this  we  have 
but  to  know  a little  of  their  religious  past,  and  to  come 
into  close  contact  with  them  in  their  religious  worship, 

378 


Thu  Ricucious  Situation. 


379 


their  ordinary  ways  of  thinking  and  speaking  of  God, 
duty,  immortality,  and  eschatological  subjects  in  general. 

From  the  meager  stocks  of  knowledge  which  we  pos- 
sess of  that  earlier  faith  we  can  glean  but  little.  The 
Malays  who  were  here  when  Legaspi,  the  ruler,  and 
Urdaneta,  the  friar  and  evangelist,  came  to  establish  the 
authority  of  Spain  and  found  the  Christian  faith,  had 
never  reduced  their  religious  ideas  to  writing.  There- 
fore it  is  impossible  to  study  them  as  Buddhism,  Hindu- 
ism, and  Mohammedanism  are  studied.  The  friars  who 
came  to  displace  the  old  faiths  were  iconoclasts.  Every- 
thing not  of  Rome  was  of  the  evil  one.  Rome  has  not 
yet  produced  one  sympathetic  student  of  Comparative 
Religions,  or,  if  any  studies  by  such  a writer  have  seen 
the  light  of  the  printed  page,  that  light  has  been  quenched 
bv  papal  order  as  was  the  book  on  New  Rome  in  Zola’s 
“La  Roma.”  In  any  case,  no  records  are  left  us  of  pains- 
taking effort  on  the  part  of  the  friar  missionaries  really 
to  understand  what  the  poor  people  for  whom  they  la- 
bored did  believe,  and  what  were  the  hopes  which  those 
beliefs  kindled  in  their  bosoms. 

From  what  little  we  know  of  the  religious  belief  of 
the  Malay  invaders  of  the  Philippines,  we  are  led  to  con- 
clude that  it  was  an  idolatrous  form  of  demon-worship. 
It  postulated  malevolence  as  the  chief  characteristic  of 
Deity,  and  its  worship  was  a series  of  fear-born  attempts 
to  propitiate  the  wrath  which  they  conceived  burned 
against  them  unceasingly.  This  unseen  and  malevolent 
Being  was  believed  to  exist  in  many  forms.  Their  idols 
were  numerous,  as  idolatry  can  never  be  exactly  certain 
that  it  has  secured  a correct  representation  of  the  Unseen, 
and  with  pathetic  eagerness  to  be  right  continues  the 
weary  unavailing  search  for  God  if  haply  they  may  find 
Him  who  is  near  to  every  one  of  us. 


3S0  The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 


These  idols  were  of  the  rudest  and  most  inartistic 
forms.  They  show  indisputable  marks  of  both  Hindu  and 
Buddhistic  thought,  and  are  not  wholly  unlike  idols  found 
in  Java  and  in  parts  of  Borneo  at  this  time.  Several 
images  of  Buddha  in  the  sitting  posture,  with  folded 
hands  resting  on  his  knees,  palms  upward,  have  been  dug 
up  by  excavators  for  foundations,  and  in  plowing  the 
fields  of  the  central  and  southern  islands.  Idols  similar 
to  that  of  Krishna  and  Ganesh  are  to  be  seen  here  and 
there  in  old  buildings  and  in  out-of-the-way  corners  of 
the  provinces. 

It  was  the  custom  of  the  Malay  invaders  to  secrete 
their  idols,  or  Anitos,  in  remote  caverns  and  wooded 
dells.  They  were  supposed  to  possess  miraculous  power, 
and  yet  this  power  could  not  be  conceived  of  as  being 
exerted  otherwise  than  in  punishment  for  faults. 

It  was  firmly  believed  that  it  was  well  pleasing  in 
the  sight  of  these  gods  to  seek  vengeance  for  wrongs 
suffered  at  the  hands  of  another  worshiper.  The  wor- 
shiper who  failed  to  exact  an  eye  for  an  eye  was  sup- 
posed to  be  out  of  favor  with  his  Anito,  and  could  not 
see  his  face  in  peace  while  his  injury  went  unavenged. 

Such,  in  briefest  possible  outline,  are  the  main  points 
which  may  be  considered  well  established  in  the  religious 
belief  of  those  whom  Spain  found  in  the  Philippines  at 
the  time  of  conquest. 

The  conversion  of  these  idolaters  to  Catholicism  was 
rapidly  accomplished.  The  king  of  Cebu  accepted  bap- 
tism almost  at  once.  Crowds  knelt  and  were  baptized 
in  rows.  Where  reluctance  to  accept  the  new  faith  was 
apparent,  a large  and  influential  party  of  the  missionary 
friars  were  ready  to  employ  force.  In  fact,  one  of  the 
burning  questions  of  early  friar  evangelism  was  whether 
it  was  right  to  use  force  in  securing  conversions  to  the 


1" 


AN  ANTING-ANTING  SHIRT.  31 

(Letters  are  supposed  to  he  mystic  symbols.  Wearer  believed  to 
be  impervious  to  bullets  or  bolos. ) 


The  Religious  Situation. 


3«3 


Christian  faith.  A delegation  finally  went  to  Rome  to 
secure  papal  light  on  so  abstruse  a question  as  that  of 
compelling  men  at  the  point  of  the  sword  or  the  mouth 
of  a cannon  to  renounce  their  old  beliefs  and  accept  those 
of  Him  whose  gospel  is  love  and  compassion.  Within 
fifty  years  after  Urdaneta  and  his  helpers  began  the  work 
of  evangelizing  the  Malays,  the  work  was  practically 
completed.  The  aboriginal  Negritos,  and  Igorrotes,  as 
well  as  the  bloodthirsty  Moros,  were  practically  unaf- 
fected by  all  that  friar  persuasion  could  do  for  them  in 
all  the  centuries  of  effort. 

It  must  be  said,  also,  that  this  work  of  conversion 
was  most  superficially  accomplished.  Little  positive  in- 
struction was  given  to  converts.  Rome  never  relies  upon 
that  in  her  attempts  to  break  ground  in  solidly  heathen 
countries.  It  is  a line  of  work  for  which  her  limitations 
on  liberty  of  thought  fetters  her.  The  so-called  conver- 
sion of  the  Filipinos  was  accomplished  by  a substitution 
of  images,  while  their  fundamental  conceptions  of  the 
Deity  behind  those  images  remained,  not  wholly  un- 
touched, but  in  a modified  form.  It  is  little  wonder  that 
such  methods  met  with  instant  success.  The  Malay  loves 
beautiful  things  with  all  the  passion  of  his  soul.  His 
own  idols  were  rough  and  unattractive.  Here  were 
images  of  the  Christ,  the  Virgin,  and  many  saints  dressed 
in  rich  colors,  with  gems  and  tinsel  and  brocade  work, 
and  all  this  beauty  set  aglow  by  the  light  of  scores  of  can- 
dles. Here  were  priests  in  rich  robes,  chanting  their 
service  in  rolling  music  that  set  every  fiber  of  this  natur- 
ally musical  man  thrilling,  while  clouds  of  incense  alter- 
nately veiled  and  disclosed  those  forms  of  supernal  beauty 
before  the  altar,  and  over  all  the  solemn  bells  called  at- 
tention to  God  and  his  worship.  Here  were  Anitos  that 
were  attractive.  By  this  worship  Deity  must  be  more 


3«4 


The  Religious  Situation. 


readily  propitiated.  These  saints  who  had  power  to 
ward  off  illness,  avert  plagues,  still  the  yelling  tempests 
that  swept  their  shores  and  wrecked  houses  with  crops, 
and  in  general  turn  away  the  wrath  of  an  angry  God  were 
surely  the  right  objects  of  worship,  and  henceforth  were 
to  be  accepted  as  divine,  and  the  mandates  of  their  min- 
istry obeyed.  Thus  these  poor  people  reasoned,  and  with 
no  more  alteration  of  underlying  conceptions  of  the  char- 
acter of  God  and  those  resultant  ideas  of  the  duties  men 
and  women  owe  to  Him  and  to  one  another,  they  became 
Christians. 

This  use  of  images  in  the  work  of  evangelism  is  not 
in  conflict  with  the  beliefs  and  practices  of  Rome.  She 
has  cut  the  Second  Commandment  out  of  her  Bible  and 
her  catechisms,  and  divided  the  Ninth  Commandment 
into  two  to  keep  the  total  number  correct.  No  thunderous 
“thou  shalt  not”  from  Bible  or  catechism  startles  Roman- 
ists as  they  bow  down  to  images  and  likenesses  of  people 
and  scenes  both  in  heaven  and  in  earth,  and  in  the  waters 
under  the  earth.  Nothing  took  place,  therefore,  in  the 
conversion  of  the  Malays  of  the  Philippines  which  was 
calculated  to  eradicate  their  false  notions  of  the  character 
of  God  nor  of  the  duties  which  men  and  women  owe  to 
Him  and  to  one  another. 

Therefore  we  find  that  the  Filipino  Catholic  still  con- 
ceives of  God  as  a Being  burning  with  wrath  against 
the  work  of  his  hands,  and  seeking  to  devour  them  and 
thwart  them,  and  exact  vengeance  for  their  shortcomings. 
For  this  diversion  of  the  wrath  of  God  he  attends  mass, 
has  his  little  ones  baptized,  counts  his  beads,  and  attends 
to  all  the  mint  and  anise  and  cummin  of  the  Catholic 
law.  For  this  he  pays  his  money  lavishly  for  masses 
to  have  the  souls  of  his  departed  loved  ones  taken  from 
purgatory  to  the  heaven  that  is  promised  to  all  them  that 


The  Rkmcioi’s  Siti  ation. 


385 


love  his  appearing  and  kingdom  “without  money  and 
without  price.”  There  is  scarcely  an  act  of  worship  that 
he  performs  which  is  not  caused  by  this  haunting  fear 
which  has  followed  him  from  his  old  faith.  The  dead 
hand  of  that  idolatry  lies  across  his  entire  thought  of 
God.  The  baleful  shadow  of  this  slanderous  thought  of 
a God  who  so  loved  the  world  that  He  gave  II  is  only 
begotten  Son  that  whosoever  believeth  on  Him  might  not 
perish  but  have  everlasting  life,  so  darkens  his  life  that 
his  religion  is  not  one  bringing  joy  and  exulting  confi- 
dence. but  fear  rather,  and  at  best  a sense  that  the  per- 
formance of  all  the  rites  prescribed  has  purchased  im- 
munity for  another  period,  and  until  that  is  ended  it  is 
as  well  to  breathe  easily,  and  take  what  comfort  in  life 
one  can  find.  That  God  is  a Being  full  of  love,  and  that 
He  has  provided  a salvation  that  rescues  men  from  sin 
in  this  life,  and  gives  them  dominion  over  sin  here  and 
now,  and  that  heaven  is  merely  the  destination  of  a people 
who  walk  with  this  loving  Father  in  paths  of  humble 
service  to  the  end  of  life’s  journey, — all  this  is  far  from 
their  thoughts,  and  Rome  has  done  but  little  to  bring  it 
rear. 

Vengeance  for  individual  wrongs  is  deemed  a duty 
by  the  majority  of  Filipinos  It  is  an  unimpaired  sur- 
vival of  that  old  belief  that  he  who  suffered  one  who 
wronged  him  to  go  unpunished  was  displeasing  in  the 
sight  of  his  An  it  0.  Xot  until  the  teachings  of  Christ  dis- 
place those  which  have  persisted  from  a dim  past  will 
this  cause  of  so  much  bitterness  and  feud  be  removed. 
It  is  rooted  in  the  belief  of  the  people.  A generation 
or  more  will  pass  before  it  can  be  cast  out. 

A careful  study  of  the  religious  situation  discloses 
great  lack  of  intelligent  loyalty  to  the  Catholic  Church. 
The  teaching  which  she  gives  her  members  is  hardly 
25 


386 


The  Religious  Situation. 


“sincere  milk.’’  It  certainly  never  becomes  “strong 
meat.”  The  catechisms  in  use  in  so-called  religious 
schools  for  Filipinos  are  wishy-washy  things.  A little 
Scripture  history,  a few  pages  of  dogma,  half  of  it  ut- 
terly unsupported  by  so  much  as  attempts  at  proof,  and 
pages  of  miracle-studded  saint-lore,  with  the  forms  of 


A RELIGIOUS  PROCESSION  in  MANILA. 

(Friar  in  gown  and  white  cuffs  of  lace  in  the  rear  at  left. 

Cathedral  in  background. ) 

prayer  and  the  usual  responses  used  in  worship,  make  up 
this  book.  This  is  all  to  be  learned  by  all  candidates  for 
confirmation.  It  is  committed  to  memory  blindly,  with 
no  attempt  to  make  meanings  clear  to  the  children  who 
rock  back  and  forth  on  the  floors  by  the  hour,  singing 
over  meaningless  words  to  themselves  in  a high  monot- 
onous key  until  they  can  rattle  them  off  glibly  when  the 


The  Religious  Situation. 


3»7 


priest  comes  to  catechise  them.  Often  the  whole  book 
is  in  an  unknown  tongue  to  the  pupil.  That  has  no  effect 
whatever  on  the  method  of  instruction.  Repetition  is 
perfection.  Thought  is  not  required.  The  only  possible 
result  follows,  and  that  is  that  intelligent,  loyalty — the 
loyalty  that  is  true  and  can  give  a reason  for  that  ad- 
hesion to  his  chosen  Church — is  hard  to  find.  Arch- 
bishop Chapelle  and  Archbishop  Cuidi  have  both  been 
convinced  that  Filipino  is  loyal  to  the  Catholic  Church. 
Sentiment  and  powerful  social  reasons  hold  thousands 
in  line,  and  give  the  impression  to  those  in  authority  that 
loyalty  is  well-nigh  universal ; but  this  is  not  that  in- 
telligent loyalty  to  doctrine  which  holds  men  and  women 
steady  when  other  teachings  come  to  their  attention. 

Superficially  converted  at  the  first,  superficially  taught 
until  the  present  hour,  this  people  have  been  alienated 
from  the  Church  through  the  conduct  of  a majority  of 
the  friars  whose  predecessors  first  offered  them  a better 
faith.  It  is  idle  to  deny  this  charge.  Previous  chapters 
furnish  proof  that  no  fair-minded  man  can  refuse  to  ac- 
cept as  final  that  the  loyalty  of  Catholics  has  been  sub- 
jected to  a fearful  strain  by  the  greed,  the  cruelties,  and 
the  immoralities  of  those  foreign  members  of  monastic 
orders  who  served  as  parish  priests.  Under  this  strain 
the  faith  of  hundreds  of  thousands  has  given  way.  At 
least  one-third  of  the  Filipino  people  have  no  sympathy 
with  the  Roman  Catholic  Church.  In  their  own  person, 
or  in  the  case  of  loved  ones,  or  of  friends,  or  perhaps  in 
their  property  rights,  they  have  felt  the  merciless  hand 
of  the  friar-curate,  and  their  allegiance  to  the  Church 
which  sent  him  and  stood  sponsor  for  his  acts  is  at  an 
end.  While  Rome  was  in  power  and  could  re-enforce  the 
might  of  ecclesiastical  processes  with  those  of  the  civil, 
and,  if  necessary,  the  military  power,  these  men  and 


388  The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 

women  were  outwardly  observant  of  customary  forms. 
But  now  that  it  becomes  increasingly  apparent  that  the 
padre  with  his  robe  and  cross  must  keep  within  the  limits 
of  ecclesiastical  power  in  enforcing  discipline  upon  re- 
fractory members  of  his  flock,  these  men  and  women  are 
lifting  up  their  voices,  and  clamoring  for  a faith  that 
satisfies  their  souls.  Let  no  one  suppose  that  this  restless 
turning  away  from  the  old  to  something  better  is  always 
an  intelligent  revolt.  It  is  often  densely  ignorant,  and 
rather  in  the  nature  of  a pathetic  feeling  in  the  darkness 
for  light  than  well-instructed  search  for  truth.  These 
masses  are  on  the  move.  They  are  like  a herd  of  thirsty 
cattle.  They  know  their  thirst.  They  know  that  waters 
to  slake  it  can  not  be  found  in  the  old  grazing  grounds, 
and  they  are  on  the  move  for  possible  satisfaction.  They 
move  rapidly.  They  move  eagerly.  They  are  liable  to 
be  stampeded.  They  fall  victims  to  pretended  popes  and 
false  Messiahs,  and  heresies  wilder  than  Dowie  teaches 
secure  ready  hearing.  Some  Americans,  and  more  Cath- 
olics, pour  ridicule  upon  the  success  of  the  Protestant 
movement  in  securing  converts  from  these  people.  They 
say  that  the  people  are  ignorant,  and  do  not  know  what 
they  are  doing.  Admitting  that  they  are  ignorant,  though 
many  of  them  are  far  from  being  so,  is  it  not  a sight 
to  melt  the  heart  of  any  follower  of  Christ  to  see  such 
spiritual  thirst,  and  to  witness  such  eagerness  to  try  any 
cup  that  offers  to  satisfy  that  thirst?  These  masses  are 
on  the  move.  It  is  not  a question  of  whether  one-half  or 
more  of  the  entire  body  will  remain  within  the  Church 
of  Rome.  In  no  true  sense  are  they  within  that  Church 
now.  They  will  go  somewhere.  Some  form  of  unbelief 
or  misbelief  will  receive  them. 

Thousands  of  the  leaders  of  public  thought  have  given 
up  all  pretense  of  religion.  Sickened  with  the  shams 


The  Religious  Situation. 


389 


they  have  seen,  they  are  in  open  revolt.  Many  of  these 
are  men  who  have  studied  in  European  universities,  and 
observed  the  beliefs  of  other  nations.  Is  infidelity  to 
claim  all  these,  the  natural  leaders  of  Filipino  thought  ? 
Rome  will  never  hold  them.  She  has  lost  that  hold.  For 
form’s  sake  and  for  social  reasons,  they  may  not  utterly 
and  openly  break  with  her  unless  they  find  satisfaction 
for  their  thirsty  spirits ; but  members  they  are  not,  and 
never  will  be,  in  any  true  sense  of  that  term.  Either 
Protestantism  must  win  them  with  a reasonable  presenta- 
tion of  the  claims  and  promises  of  Christ,  or  they  will 
not  only  be  lost,  but  will  drag  others  down  with  them. 

Hundreds  of  thousands  will  run  into  superstitions 
yet  deeper  than  those  which  hold  them  now,  if  that  is 
possible,  unless  help  is  given  soon.  As  a class,  supersti- 
tion rules  the  larger  portion  of  this  great  horde  of  rest- 
less souls.  Will  they  plunge  yet  deeper  into  this  abyss? 

“Many  of  these  superstitions  are  survivals  of  former 
idolatrous  beliefs.  One  of  the  most  prominent  of  the 
latter  superstitions  is  that  of  ‘anting-anting.’  The  most 
ignorant  classes  firmly  believe  that  certain  persons  are 
possessed  of  a diabolical  influence  called  anting-anting, 
which  preserves  them  from  all  harm.  They  believe  that 
the  body  of  a man  so  affected  is  even  refractory  to  the 
effects  of  bullet  or  steel.  Brigands  are  often  captured 
wearing  medallions  of  the  Virgin  Mary  or  the  saints  as 
a device  of  the  anting-anting.  . . . Some  highway- 

men, too,  have  a curious  notion  that  they  can  escape  pun- 
ishment for  a crime  committed  in  Easter  week,  because 
the  thief  on  the  cross  was  pardoned  his  sins.”* 

Certain  images  like  that  of  the  Holy  Child  of  Bangi, 
the  Santo  Nino  de  Cebu,  St.  Francis  de  Assisi,  Our  Lady 
of  Caysaysav,  and  the  Virgin  of  Antipolo,  are  believed 
to  have  miraculous  powers,  and  to  exert  them  on  behalf 

• Foreman. 


39°  The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 

of  penitents  on  occasion.  The  fact  that  there  seems  to 
be  a direct  connection  between  the  size  of  the  fee  paid 
and  the  readiness  of  the  image  to  respond,  would  cause 
suspicion  in  the  mind  of  one  who  had  ever  been  encour- 
aged to  use  his  mind  in  connection  with  his  religious 
worship.  St.  Francis  of  Assisi  is  only  an  image  of  wood, 
but  it  sheds  tears  sufficient  on  occasion  to  moisten  a 
number  of  cloths.  The  Virgin  of  Antipolo  has  five 
times  crossed  the  seas  between  Mexico  and  the  Philip- 
pines, and  on  each  voyage  saved  the  royal  galleon  from 
being  ingulfed  in  the  roaring  waves  by  miraculously 
stilling  the  tempest.  Thrice  the  building  in  which  she  is 
kept  has  been  burned  to  ashes,  and  each  time  this  gaudily- 
be-tinseled  image  has  been  found  amid  the  ashes  with 
not  so  much  as  a curl  of  her  false  hair  singed,  and  with- 
out the  smell  of  fire  on  her  garments.  The  village  of 
Antipolo  is  her  shrine  All  that  gives  it  life  is  the  pil- 
grim trade  called  thither  by  the  sale  of  handkerchiefs  and 
prints  of  saints  and  rosaries  blessed  with  the  blessing  of 
this  wonder-working  image.  In  spite  of  this  fact,  Anti- 
polo is  a center  of  brigandage,  even  as  Kali-Ghat  was 
the  focus  of  Thuggism  in  India. 

All-Saints’  Day,  November  ist,  Catholics  are  taught 
that  one  lighted  candle  placed  at  the  foot  of  a shrine,  and 
a prayer  repeated,  will  deliver  souls  from  purgatory. 
Sorrowing  relatives  throng  these  places  of  worship.  The 
crush  is  often  unbearable.  A father,  a mother,  a loved 
husband,  or  beloved  child  may  be  gotten  out  of  purga- 
torial fires  for  a candle  and  a prayer ! Who  that  so  be- 
lieved would  not  undergo  discomfort?  Sacristans  make 
them  move  on  after  two  or  three  minutes ; their  candles, 
which  must  be  left  burning  at  the  shrine,  are  promptly 
extinguished,  and  coolies  can  often  be  seen  carrying  them 
away  to  the  priests’  storeroom  to  be  resold  to  dealers. 


Tiie  Religious  Situation. 


39 1 


In  1887,  one  church  is  said  to  have  gathered  forty  hun- 
dred weight  of  candles  worth  $37  each  on  that  one  day 
of  superstitious  worship. 

Sweating  images  are  most  popular  with  the  devout. 
Standing  in  dark  corners,  with  wax  spread  over  their 
surface,  they  are  only  to  be  approached  with  large  can- 
dles. Prayers  to  be  effective  must  he  of  some  length. 
By  the  time  they  are  concluded,  the  wax  is  melting,  and 
the  drops  trickling  down  the  image  is  the  promised  per- 
spiration. and  proof  that  the  prayer  has  been  heard.  1 
Other  images  are  jointed,  and  for  a sufficient  consider-  | 
ation  will  bow  or  move  their  arms  in  token  that  the  prayer  1 
of  the  penitent  before  them  has  been  heard.  But  now 
and  then  the  string  breaks,  or  the  joints  stick,  and  the 
prayer  is  said  to  be  devoid  of  faith.  Great  profit  is  made 
from  dressing  up  doll-like  images  of  saints  and  martyrs 
and  carrying  them  from  door  to  door,  that  they  may  bless 
the  houses  of  those  who  pay  the  right  fee,  and  permit 
these  holy  personages  to  tarry  in  their  homes.  The  fee 
is  regulated  according  to  the  length  of  the  domiciliary 
visit.  The  friars  formerly  hired  a man  for  a few  pesos 
a month  to  carry  the  image  from  home  to  home,  and  all 
receipts  over  and  above  the  wages  of  the  custodian  were 
net  profit  for  holy  funds  ! 

Pictures  of  almost  all  sorts  are  sold  to  the  native  wor- 
shiper, with  stories  of  miraculous  power  they  can  exer- 
cise. The  pitiable  credulity  of  ignorant  worshipers  is 
apparent  in  almost  every  hut.  Dean  Worcester  tells  of  a 
family  who  secured  a cartoon  of  President  Cleveland  in 
the  garb  of  a friar,  with  a tin  halo  about  his  head,  from 
an  old  copy  of  Judge  which  he  happened  to  leave  out  of 
his  baggage,  and  when  he  next  visited  that  family  he  found 
them  all  on  their  knees  before  this  wretched  cartoon,  en- 
gaged in  their  evening  devotions!  He  says,  “So  far  as 


392 


The  Philippines  and  tpie  Far  East. 


I know,  Mr.  Cleveland  is  the  first  American  President 
to  have  been  canonized” 

To  whom  will  this  multitude  go  if  they  are  left  to  them- 
selves ? Can  any  one  question  that  their  future  is  a dark- 
one,  and  that,  this  being  the  case,  the  future  for  which  the 
best  class  of  the  Filipinos  ardently  hope  will  never  be 
realized  ? Thousands  have  gone  off  after  a self-styled 
pope  in  Southern  Luzon  within  the  past  two  years.  He 
has  been  convicted  of  imposture,  murder,  and  other  seri- 
ous crimes,  and  executed,  and  yet  many  of  his  followers 
cling  to  the  belief  that  he  was  to  be  their  deliverer,  and 
could  have  set  them  free  if  he  had  been  let  to  escape  the 
gallows. 

When  the  Aglipay  movement  began  in  October  of  1902, 
it  spread  like  wildfire.  Within  eight  months  its  leaders 
claimed  three  million  followers,  and  had  actually  taken  pos- 
session of  all  the  Romish  Churches  over  entire  provinces, 
priests,  members,  and  all  coming  into  the  movement.  All 
that  Aglipay  promised  them  was  freedom  from  Rome,  and 
a Church  of  the  Filipinos,  by  the  Filipinos,  and  for  the 
Filipinos.  Doctrinallv  he  took  Romish  ground  with  the 
exception  of  belief  in  the  papacy.  While  his  claims  were 
probably  based  upon  the  hopes  and  expectations  of  his  fol- 
lowers rather  more  than  upon  statistics  gathered  and  sifted 
with  the  care  that  should  accompany  such  work,  it  still  re- 
mains that  more  than  a million  of  this  eager,  restless  peo- 
ple have  followed  Aglipay  out  of  the  Roman  Catholic 
Church,  and  more  are  joining  the  movement  every  day. 
While  I have  no  hard  words  to  say  of  this  independent 
Filipino  Church  movement,  I must  say  that  it  will  not 
give  the  people  a true  idea  of  Christ  and  His  power  to 
save,  and  that  it  will  leave  all  the  more  for  a pure  form  of 
Protestantism  to  do,  as  it  fails  to  edify  and  lead  those 
whom  it  seems  satisfied  to  detach  from  Rome. 


The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 


393 


The  religious  situation  is  one  that  must  appeal  to  every 
lover  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  Here  is  a nation  ready  to 
be  led  to  the  Christ.  Sick  of  the  impotence  of  their  old 
faith,  they  wait  to  be  helped  into  the  pool  of  true  spiritual 
healing.  Will  the  Protestant  Churches  of  America  rise 
to  the  novel  and  urgent  demands  of  the  situation  ? Or 
will  they  be  content  to  apply  their  usual  rules  to  this  un- 
usual condition,  and  go  so  tardily  and  so  pinchingly  about 
the  work  of  saving  a whole  people  that  the  door  of  oppor- 
tunity will  swing  shut  in  the  faces  of  those  who  seek- 
most  eagerly  to  enter  with  the  message  of  a salvation 
that  saves? 


INTERIOR  CATHOLIC  CHURCH,  MANILA.  WOMAN  KNEELING. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 


The  Bible  Societies. 

It  was  a Hindu  who  said,  ‘If  I were  a missionary  I 
would  not  argue;  I would  print  the  New  Testament,  and 
would  say  to  all  the  people,  ‘ Read,  that!’  ” The  first  work 
of  the  missionary  in  reaching  his  field  of  work  is  to  see 
that  all  the  people  have  the  Scriptures  in  their  own  tongue 
in  which  every  man  was  born.  He  believes  that  the  leaves 
of  the  Word  of  God  are  for  the  healing  of  the  nations. 
He  is  assured  that  what  man  says  may  fall  into  the  soil 
of  his  field  and  perish,  while  the  words  of  God  are  vital 
with  the  life  of  Him  who  spoke  them,  and  are  certain  to 
bring  forth  some  sixty  and  some  an  hundred  fold.  He 
knows,  too,  that  the  Scripture  is  able  to  reach  waiting 
thousands  with  their  silent  appeal  long  before  the  living 
messenger  can  possibly  come  to  them,  and  that  its  testi- 
monies to  the  love  of  God  and  the  redemptive  work  of 
Christ  will  be  given  with  undiminished  force  after  the 
messenger  has  gone  to  other  cities  also.  To  attempt  the 
evangelization  of  a people  without  giving  them  the  Word 
of  God  would  be  to  write  in  the  sand  of  their  history. 
Successive  waves  of  time  would  wash  out  every  mark  of 
evangelism  which  had  reared  no  mighty  corner-stone  of 
inspired  truth  upon  which  to  found  its  building.  Carey  in 
India,  Morrison  in  China,  Moffatt  in  Africa.  Judson  in 
Burmah, — these  all  were  led  of  the  Spirit,  who  wrote  the 
Word  to  put  first  things  first  in  their  various  fields,  and 
immediately  put  the  Sacred  Book  into  the  language  of 
those  among  whom  they  had  come  to  labor. 

394 


The  Bihle  Societies. 


395 


Two  Bible  Societies  saw  the  need  in  these  Islands,  and 
took  steps  to  meet  that  need  long  before  the  clouds  of  war 
had  risen.  The  American  Bible  Society  in  New  York 
ordered  its  agent  for  China,  Dr.  John  R.  Hykes,  to  visit 
Manila,  examine  into  conditions,  and  report  to  the  society 
as  to  the  advisability  of  establishing  an  agency  at  Manila. 
He  reached  Manila  in  September  of  1898,  looked  into  con- 
ditions. and  made  a report.  This  report  was  favorable  to 
such  action,  and  in  1899  Rev.  Jav  C.  Goodrich,  a minister 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  from  the  Newark  Con- 
ference, was  appointed,  and,  with  his  wife,  took  his  place 
at  Manila,  arriving  in  November  of  that  year. 

The  British  and  Foreign  Bible  Society  had  meantime 
sent  the  Rev.  H.  F.  Miller  from  Singapore  on  an  errand 
similar  to  that  of  Dr.  Hykes.  Later,  Mr.  Miller  was  him- 
self appointed  agent,  and  had  arrived  at  his  post  some 
time  before  the  arrival  of  Mr.  Goodrich.  Both  these  soci- 
eties have  been  steadily  at  work  during  the  past  four  years. 

It  was  not  the  first  attempt  of  the  British  and  Foreign 
Society  to  open  work  in  the  Philippines.  Through  its 
agency  in  Singapore,  to  which  city  so  many  Fipilinos 
resorted  when  friar  antagonism  became  too  pronounced, 
and  through  its  larger  body  of  workers  in  Spain  itself, 
that  organization  had  come  into  close  association  with 
many  of  those  Filipinos  who  waited  most  anxiously  for  a 
new  spiritual  condition  to  prevail  in  their  native  land. 
With  the  help  of  some  of  these  men,  translations  of  por- 
tions of  the  Gospel,  more  or  less  accurate,  were  made  into 
Pangasinan  and  Tagalog.  In  1888  a converted  friar 
named  Lallave,  who  had  spent  twelve  years  in  the  prov- 
ince of  Pangasinan — a Dominican — with  a companion 
named  Senor  F.  de  P.  Castells,  sought  and  received  from 
the  British  and  Foreign  Bible  Society  permission  to  under- 
take the  distribution  of  the  Word  of  God  in  the  Philippine 


396  The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 


Islands.  With  a stock  of  Spanish  Scriptures  and  the  four 
Gospels  in  the  Pangasinan  language,  which  had  been 
translated  by  Sr.  Lallave  while  in  Spain,  these  two  men 
took  their  lives  in  their  hands  and  entered  Manila.  They 
at  once  began  to  encounter  difficulties.  Their  books  were 
held  up  in  the  custom-house,  and  their  work  of  distributing 
the  Scriptures  was  brought  to  a sudden  end  by  order  of 
the  officials.  While  seeking  to  unravel  the  complications 
which  had  arisen  so  that  it  would  be  possible  for  them 
to  carry  on  their  work,  and  within  a week  of  their  arrival 
in  the  city,  Sr.  Lallave,  the  elder  of  the  two,  died  of  poison 
in  his  room  at  the  Oriente  Hotel,  where  they  were  stop- 
ping. He  was  buried  in  the  Protestant  cemetery  at  San 
Pedro  Macati.  His  companion  was  also  taken  violently 
ill  with  similar  symptoms,  but  did  not  die.  It  is  not 
capable  of  exact  proof  such  as  would  be  demanded  in  a 
court  of  law,  but  on  all  bands  it  is  believed  that  the  death 
of  Sr.  Lallave  was  due  to  friar  intrigue.  They  hated  him 
on  two  separate  grounds : he  had  become  a Protestant, 
and  was  now  engaged  in  an  attempt  to  put  the  Bible  into 
the  hands  of  the  common  people.  Foreman  says  that  mur- 
ders by  friars  were  not  uncommon  : 

“The  mysterious  deaths  of  General  Solano  (in  August, 
i860),  and  of  Zamora,  the  bishop-elect  of  Cebu  (in  1873), 
occurred  so  opportunely  for  Philippine  monastic  ambi- 
tion, that  little  doubt  existed  in  the  public  mind  as  to 
who  were  the  real  criminals.  When  I first  arrived  in 
Manila,  nearly  twenty  years  ago,  a fearful  crime  was  still 
being  commented  on.  Father  Piernaviaja,  formerly 
parish  priest  of  San  Miguel  de  Mayumo,  had  recently 
committed  a second  murder.  His  first  victim  was  a na- 
tive youth.  His  second  a native  woman  cnciente.  The 
public  voice  there  could  not  be  raised  very  loudly  against 
the  priests,  hut  the  scandal  was  so  great  that  the  criminal 
friar  was  sent  to  another  province — Cavite — where  he 
still  celebrated  the  holy  sacrifice  of  the  Eucharist.  Nearly 


Tiie  Bibee  Societies. 


397 


two  decades  afterward — in  January,  1897 — this  rascal 
met  with  a terrible  death  at  the  hands  of  the  rebels.  He 
was  in  captivity,  and  having  been  appointed  ‘bishop’  in 
a rebel  diocese,  to  save  his  life  he  accepted  the  mock 
dignity;  but  unfortunately  for  himself  he  betrayed  the 
confidence  of  his  captors,  and  collected  information  con- 
cerning their  movements,  plans,  and  strongholds,  for  re- 
mittance to  his  community.  In  expiation  of  his  treason 
he  was  bound  to  a post  under  the  tropical  sun  and  left 
there  to  die.  See  how  the  public  in  Spain  are  gulled ! 
In  a Malaga  newspaper  this  individual  was  referred  to 
as  ‘a  venerable  figure  worthy  of  being  placed  high  up 
on  an  altar,  before  which  all  Spaniards  should  prostrate 
themselves  and  adore  him.  As  a rcligicit. v he  was  a most 
worthy  minister  of  the  Lord  ; as  a patriot  he  was  a hero.’  ” 

The  companion  of  Lallave  was  first  imprisoned,  and 
then  banished  from  the  Islands.  But  the  society  felt  that 
its  first  effort,  attended  as  it  had  been  with  the  death  of 
one  agent  and  banishment  of  another,  bound  it  to  the 
Philippines,  and  made  it  incumbent  upon  its  officers  to 
avail  themselves  of  the  first  opening  to  enter  the  Islands 
and  carry  forward  the  work  to  which  Lallave  gave  “the 
last  full  measure  of  devotion  !” 

Nothing  further  was  attempted  by  this  society  until 
1898,  when  Mr.  Randle  arrived  with  translations  of  the 
first  three  Gospels  and  Acts  in  Tagalog,  St.  Luke  in  Bicol, 
and  St.  Luke  and  the  Acts  in  Ilokano,  all  of  which  trans- 
lations had  been  done  by  our  agent  in  Spain,  with  the  help 
of  exiled  Filipinos, — exiled  chiefly  through  having  in- 
curred the  displeasure  of  the  friars.  Mr.  Randle  was  suc- 
ceeded by  Mr.  Miller. 

The  first  work  of  Mr.  Miller  was  to  translate  the  New 
Testament  into  Tagalog.  It  was  found  that  the  trans- 
lation which  had  been  made  in  Spain  was  too  faulty  to 
send  out  in  anything  approaching  permanent  form,  and 
such  portions  as  had  been  put  into  this  vernacular  were 


398  The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 


all  gone  over  as  carefully  as  though  it  had  been  new  work. 
The  undertaking  was  one  calling  for  really  immense  toil. 
Mr.  Miller  did  not  know  the  Tagalog.  His  familiarity 
with  Spanish  had  to  be  largely  acquired  after  he  came  to 
Manila.  No  Filipinos  could  be  found  whose  English  was 
sufficiently  perfected  to  enable  them  to  translate  directly 
from  English  into  the  vernacular.  The  Spanish  text  was 
necessarily  made  the  basis  for  general  work,  and  native 
translators  under  vigilant  supervision  put  the  Spanish 
Testament  into  idiomatic  Tagalog.  Then  the  work  was 
carefully  copied,  and  submitted  to  good  judges  of  both 
tongues.  Then,  after  their  corrections  had  been  made,  the 
final  test  was  made.  That  consisted  in  having  the  trans- 
lator or  some  other  person  familiar  with  Tagalog  read  the 
vernacular  translation  back  into  Spanish,  while  the  agent 
and  his  assistants  noted  carefully  every  shade  of  meaning 
expressed  to  see  that  the  full  sweep  of  the  original  thought 
was  secured.  It  was  a toilsome  method,  and  one  which 
was  sure  to  leave  more  or  less  of  inaccuracy  in  the  finer 
shades  of  thought ; but  it  was  the  only  method  that  could 
be  employed  at  that  time,  and  was  therefore  used,  in  de- 
fault of  more  perfect  but  wholly  unattainable  methods. 
It  required  practically  two  years  to  complete  this  task,  and 
two  years  of  as  severe  labors  as  any  man  should  attempt 
to  perform  in  this  climate.  The  work  was  completed  in 
February,  1901,  but  a revision  was  found  to  be  imperative 
to  correct  certain  grave  defects.  This  was  completed  dur- 
ing 1902,  and  the  “Bagon  Tipan,"  or  New  Testament  in 
Tagalog,  was  ready  for  the  mission  for  which  it  had  been 
prepared. 

In  1901  this  agency  reported  36,859  Gospels  and  Acts 
printed  in  Tagalog,  and  9,000  Pangasinan  Gospels.  Of 
these  books,  21,000  were  printed  for  the  American  Bible 
Society,  which,  in  turn,  printed  6,000  Uokano  Gospels 


Tin;  Biuu;  Societies. 


3 99 


for  them.  The  circulation  of  Scriptures  for  1901  was 
26,825  Gospel  portions  in  Philippine  vernaculars,  3,671 
Spanish  Testaments  and  portions ; 3,528  Chinese  Testa- 
ments; English,  132;  all  other  languages,  102;  total. 
34,258  copies  of  the  Word  of  God  or  of  some  portion 
thereof.  Besides  the  work  of  three  English  colporteurs, 
the  society  employed  two  Bible  women,  who  did  incalcu- 
lable good  in  reading  the  Scriptures  to  women  from  house 
to  house,  and  in  selling  such  copies  as  were  asked  for  in 
their  visits.  This  work  went  to  the  very  citadel  of  Rome — 
the  blind  allegiance  of  the  women  to  all  the  superstitions 
and  errors  by  which  they  have  suffered  so  much. 

Besides  the  totals  given  above  during  1901,  this  society 
used  a novel  kind  of  agency  for  wide  distribution — polit- 
ical prisoners — to  whom  1.380  Scripture  portions  were 
given  at  the  time  of  their  discharge.  The  Gospels  were 
thus  carried  to  many  remote  places  in  the  more  distant 
provinces,  and  doubtless  penetrated  to  many  a village 
where  no  regular  agent  or  colporteur  of  the  society  will 
ever  be  able  to  go.  One  of  the  workers  records  this  inci- 
dent of  her  work  among  the  people : 

“At  one  house  I had  a splendid  gathering  of  nine  or 
ten  women  sitting  on  the  floor  all  around  me,  waiting  to 
listen  to  whatever  I had  to  say.  I read  and  sang  to  them, 
and  tried  to  talk  to  them  about  Jesus,  the  only  Way  of 
salvation,  looking  up  the  various  texts  in  Tagalog  as 
best  I could.  ...  At  a little  shop  there  was  quite 
a gathering  of  men  and  women  and  children.  On  hear- 
ing the  hymn,  ‘The  Light  of  the  world  is  Jesus,’  one 
man  undertook  to  explain  it  to  his  neighbors : making  a 
straight  motion  upwards  with  his  arm,  he  said,  ‘The 
hymn  says  you  can  go  straight  away  to  Jesus,  but  the 
friars  say  no — round  by  this,’  making  a circle  around 
his  back,  and  looking  knowingly  at  his  companions.” 

The  report  for  1902  shows  a total  circulation  of  64,477 


400  . The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 

copies,  or  an  increase  of  28,839  over  the  circulation  of 
1901.  Many  of  these  copies  are  sold  to  Roman  Catholics 
who  are  curious  to  see  the  entire  Scriptures,  of  which  they 
have  only  been  able  to  hear  detached  bits  of  history  and 
teaching.  Rev.  H.  F.  Miller  resigned  the  agency  on 
account  of  illness  in  his  family,  and,  though  serving  as  a 
rector  of  a parish  in  Australia,  is  carrying  forward  the 
translation  of  the  Old  Testament  into  Tagalog,  with  the 
help  of  the  man  who  aided  most  effectively  in  the  trans- 
lation of  the  New  Testament.  It  is  hoped  that  this  society 
will  be  able  to  bring  out  the  entire  Bible  in  Tagalog  within 
a year.  There  will  be  a large  sale  for  it  now,  and  that 
demand  will  increase  rapidly,  as  the  new  Aglipay  move- 
ment has  openly  indorsed  the  study  of  the  Scriptures. 
The  new  agent  of  the  British  and  Foreign  Bible  Society 
is  Mr.  Percy  Graham.  The  same  staff  of  colporteurs  re- 
mains, but  the  services  of  the  Bible  women  have  been  dis- 
continued. 

The  American  Bible  Society  has  also  undertaken  trans- 
lation work.  Its  first  heavy  work  was  to  put  the  New 
Testament  into  the  most  virile  of  all  the  languages  of 
Northern  Luzon — the  Ilokano — using  as  a basis  the  trans- 
lations of  St.  Luke  and  Acts  which  had  been  prepared  in 
Spain.  This  language  is  spoken  by  more  than  a million 
of  the  most  alert  and  progressive  people  to  be  found  north 
of  the  Tagalog  limits  in  Bulacan.  Though  their  home 
is  in  the  narrow  coastal  plain  at  the  foot  of  the  Cordil- 
leras north  of  Pangasinan,  they  have  overflowed  into  all 
the  surrounding  provinces,  and  the  lingua  franca  of  fertile 
provinces  bearing  dense  populations  is  the  Ilokano.  This 
people  are  the  natural  leaders  of  all  that  portion  of  the 
island  of  Luzon,  and  it  is  a matter  for  much  gratitude  that 
the  American  Bible  Society  was  guided  early  in  its  history 
in  the  Islands  to  see  that  fact,  and  to  undertake  to  put  the 


The  Bible  Societies. 


401 


words  of  Christ  into  its  conquering  forms  of  speech.  Mr. 
Goodricli  spent  several  months  in  Japan  during  1902-3, 
with  the  help  of  Sr.  Isabelo  de  los  Reyes,  putting  the  final 
touches  to  this  important  work.  The  work  is  completed, 
and  the  sales  of  the  entire  New  Testament  in  this  tongue 
have  already  been  large. 

Simultaneously  work  was  carried  forward  on  the  trans- 
lation of  the  Gospels  into  Pampanga.  This  is  a language 
or  dialect  spoken  by  more  than  three  hundred  thousand 
people  immediately  north  of  the  Tagalog  province  of 
Bulacan  in  Luzon.  The  people  are  among  the  most  intel- 
ligent and  trustworthy  of  the  Filipino  people.  The  entire 
New  Testament  is  now  in  manuscript,  awaiting  final  re- 
vision. The  manifold  duties  of  the  agent,  and  the  diffi- 
culties of  securing  and  retaining  efficient  assistants  for 
the  book-keeping,  the  correspondence,  and  management 
of  shipping  details,  makes  translation,  or  other  work  de- 
manding careful  and  consecutive  thinking,  move  very 
slowly.  Added  to  this  is  the  fact  that  no  vernacular  in 
the  Philippines  has  ever  been  taught  in  the  schools.  Very 
few  of  the  best-trained  Filipinos  have  ever  made  a gram- 
matical study  of  their  own  language.  While  they  have 
spoken  it  from  their  infancy,  and  have  no  difficulty  what- 
ever in  expressing  their  own  thoughts  in  its  terms,  it  is 
not  easy  for  them  to  determine  what  precise  verbal  forms 
will  best  convey  the  thoughts  and  words  of  Scripture. 
The  decisions  necessary  to  be  made  in  the  abstract  as  to 
the  right  case,  the  proper  mood,  the  correct  tense,  and  the 
precise  content  of  terms  never  used  for  conveying  relig- 
ious ideas  until  the  present,  are  such  as  puzzle  and  delav 
the  best  vernacular  assistant  that  can  be  secured.  It  is 
probable  that  revision  of  all  translations  made  at  present 
will  need  to  be  made  when  men  who  know  English  thor- 
oughly, and  who  also  know  their  own  vernaculars  in  a 
26 


402  The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 

scientific  way,  have  been  raised  up  through  the  present 
public  schools,  and  in  the  private  pursuit  of  linguistic 
research  certain  to  follow  the  introduction  of  a new  spirit 
of  inquiry. 

The  American  Bible  Society  has  also  undertaken  to 
translate,  or  aid  others  in  translating,  into  two  dialects  of 
the  Visayan,  Iloilo,  and  Cebuyan.  These  versions  get  on 
slowly,  but  will  be  ready  some  time  during  1904. 

In  the  distribution  of  its  printed  product  the  American 
Society  has  been  handicapped  by  that  fact  that  it  is  not 
the  policy  of  the  secretaries  to  send  colporteurs  from  the 
United  States,  and  the  agent  in  Manila  has  been  compelled 
to  secure  his  help  on  the  field.  It  was  not  possible  at  first 
to  secure  Filipinos  who  could  do  the  work.  He  has  had 
some  noble  men ; but  the  best  of  them  were  not  perma- 
nently given  to  the  work,  and  their  very  brevitv  of  service 
crippled  them  for  the  most  effective  work.  Only  one  man 
has  been  brought  from  America  for  the  general  work  of 
the  Society,  in  addition  to  Mr.  Goodrich — Mr.  Paul  Barn- 
hart. He  served  two  years,  and  was  compelled  to  return 
to  the  States  in  1903  after  a dangerous  fever.  Despite 
these  hindrances  the  work  of  circulation  has  gone  steadily 
on,  increasing  with  each  month. 

The  trials  of  American  or  European  colporteurs  in 
their  travels  into  interior  provinces  are  as  hard  as  would 
be  experienced  in  Africa  or  the  heat  of  China.  There  are 
no  roads.  The  food  of  the  Filipinos  is  such  as  will  not 
long  satisfy  an  American  or  English  stomach,  with  its 
everlasting  rice  and  fish,  its  garlic  and  interminable  gravies 
seasoned  so  as  to  suit  the  native  tastes,  but  impossible 
to  Americans.  Night  after  night  they  must  sleep  on  the 
split  bamboo  floors  of  native  houses,  with  noises  of  all 
uncanny  sorts  to  interrupt  the  rest  so  sorely  needed  after 
a day  of  tramping  and  talking  in  a strange  tongue.  The 


The  Bible  Societies. 


403 


remuneration  is  barely  sufficient  to  meet  living  expenses, 
if  one  lives  on  food  that  nourishes  his  powers  for  the  best 
service,  and  the  supply  of  young  men  willing  to  do  the 
kind  of  work  demanded  of  a colporteur,  and  at  the  same 
time  having  a real  spiritual  interest  in  the  welfare  of  the 
people,  is  not  always  abundant,  and  is  always  hard  to  re- 
tain. The  British  and  Foreign  Society  has  the  advantage 
of  having  English  colporteurs  on  long-time  agreements. 
These  men  are  secured  and  appointed  from  among  hosts 
of  earnest  Christian  men  in  home  Churches.  This  is  the 
better  plan.  It  relieves  the  agent  on  the  field  of  a wear- 
ing responsibility,  and  insures  the  exertion  of  the  proper 
kind  of  personal  influence  by  the  field  men. 

Several  sad  things  have  occurred.  Mr.  Carroll  R. 
Bear  contracted  cholera  while  in  the  service  of  the  society, 
and  died  of  that  disease  on  the  15th  of  July,  1902.  Mr. 
Bear  was  a Christian  soldier  lad,  and  was  one  of  the  best 
men  the  society  has  had  in  its  employ.  Mr.  Barnhart  was 
with  him  when  the  illness  came  on,  and  remained  with  him 
until  the  end,  like  a good  soldier  of  his  Lord. 

“Mr.  W.  T.  Gugin  began  work  for  the  society  in 
June  (1902),  taking  the  important  field  resigned  by  Mr. 
Kelso.  Mr.  Gugin  makes  warm  friends,  and  succeeds 
in  convincing  people  of  the  truth  of  the  Gospel  he  is  dis- 
tributing. In  one  village  in  Tarlac  province  he  so  faith- 
fully presented  the  truth  that  the  principal  men  in  the 
town  insisted  upon  his  remaining  and  becoming  their 
pastor ; instead,  he  assisted  them  in  organizing  a con- 
gregation, and  they  have  since  built  a church  and  have 
regular  services.  In  October,  Mr.  Gugin  took  up  the 
new  field  of  Leyte,  Samar,  and  adjacent  islands,  where 
he  has  had  his  usual  success.  At  the  instigation  of  the 
priest  he  was  mobbed  in  a barrio  of  Tacloban  shortly 
after  his  arrival,  but  escaped  uninjured,  and  succeeded 
in  winning  the  people  with  weapons  of  love,  so  that  they 
have  since  begged  his  forgiveness.  Unusual  courtesies 


404  The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 

have  been  extended  to  Mr.  Gugin  by  the  officers  of  the 
army  and  civilian  authorities  wherever  he  has  gone.” 

Mr.  Gugin  met  his  death  at  the  hands  of  unknown 
enemies  while  selling  the  Scriptures  in  the  island  of  Leyte 
early  in  1903.  No  trace  of  his  murderers  can  be  found. 

Mr.  J.  G.  Milloy  is  a most  effective  salesman.  He  has 
learned  the  Tagalog,  and  speaks  it  fluently.  He  goes 
into  the  midst  of  crowded  fiestas  and  into  the  throngs 
which  gather  at  the  doors  of  cockpits,  and  sells  thousands 
of  copies  of  the  Scripture  portions  with  which  he  is  sup- 
plied. The  circulation  of  Scriptures  during  the  years 
1901-2  were  as  follows:  In  1900,  10.873  copies  of  Bibles, 
Testaments,  and  portions;  in  1901,  52,793;  and  in  1902, 
91,260, — making  a total  of  154,926  volumes  in  the  three 
years.  The  statistics  for  1903  are  not  yet  complete,  as  at 
the  time  of  writing  it  lacks  some  weeks  of  the  end  of  the 
year;  but  Mr.  Goodrich  assures  me  that  the  circulation  of 
the  present  year  (1903)  will  not  fall  under  125.000  copies. 
The  factors  which  have  conspired  to  increase  the  sales  this 
year  are,  first,  the  possession  for  the  first  time  of  the  New 
Testament  in  Ilokano ; and,  second,  the  strange  fact  that  a 
Catholic  Church  has  gone  into  the  business  of  buying  and 
selling  Bibles.  Through  the  influence  of  Mr.  A.  W. 
Prautch,  more  than  that  of  any  other  person.  Archbishop 
Aglipay,  of  the  Independent  Filipino  Catholic  Church,  has 
taken  an  open  stand  in  favor  of  the  reading  of  the  Scrip- 
tures. In  a letter  on  file  in  the  office  of  Mr.  Goodrich, 
Aglipay  says : 

“Es  mi  opinion  que  de  la  lectura  de  la  Biblia  resul- 
talla  illustracion  del  individuo  y el  progresso  de  la  11a- 
cion.” 

“It  is  my  opinion  that  the  reading  of  the  Bible  will 
result  in  the  edification  of  the  individual  and  the  progress 
of  the  nation.” 


The  Bibi.k  Societies. 


405 


Opposition  has  been  hot  and  persistent.  Angry  priests 
snatching  Bibles  from  the  hands  of  the  people,  and  burn- 
ing them  before  their  eyes,  have  been  found  in  many 
places.  A young  woman  converted  in  one  of  the  many 
services  in  Manila  received  a Testament  as  a gift  from 
the  missionary  who  married  her.  Within  a week  the  priest 
who  had  formerly  ministered  to  the  family  had  secured 
the  Bible  and  destroyed  it.  A few  weeks  ago  a woman  bv 
the  name  of  Maria  Apolonario  had  serious  trouble  over  a 
copy  of  the  Scriptures  sold  her  from  the  American  depos- 
itory in  Manila.  Her  husband  lay  dying  of  cholera.  The 
local  priest,  a Filipino  named  Primitivo  Baltasar,  came  to 
the  home  to  confess  the  dying  man  and  administer  the 
sacrament  of  extreme  unction.  He  was  informed  that  they 
did  not  need  his  services,  as  they  prayed  to  Christ  Himself 
for  what  they  desired.  He  espied  a copy  of  the  Tagalog 
New  Testament  near  the  head  of  the  dying  man,  and,  seiz- 
ing it,  began  to  tear  out  the  leaves,  saying  to  the  woman 
that  her  husband  had  taken  the  cholera  as  a Divine  pun- 
ishment for  the  awful  crime  of  reading  a book  full  of  all 
mischief  and  the  power  of  the  evil  one.  He  told  her, 
with  loud  and  threatening  tones,  that  lie  would  surely 
lose  his  soul,  that  she  and  the  children  would  follow  him 
into  hell,  and  that,  to  prevent  her  spreading  the  terrible 
influence  any  farther  in  the  community,  he  would  have  her 
and  her  family  removed  to  another  town  in  a distant 
province.  After  her  husband  was  buried,  this  poor  fish- 
woman  had  the  Rev.  Primitivo  Baltasar  arrested  for  his 
offense.  In  retaliation  he  had  her  put  in  jail  ten  days 
for  violating  sanitary  laws.  He  pleaded  not  guilty,  but 
on  the  preliminary  hearing  he  was  found  guilty,  and 
bound  over  to  the  Court  of  First  Instance  under  bonds  of 
$1,000.  It  is  the  first  case  in  the  Philippines  in  which  we 
have  really  caught  a priest  redhanded  in  the  act  of  de- 


406  The  Philippines  and  the  Par  East. 

straying  a Bible,  and  have  made  the  law  as  effective  in  his 
case  as  though  he  were  not  a padre.  It  has  caused  im- 
mense delight  among  the  little  band  of  Protestants  in  the 
city  of  Orion,  Bataan,  where  it  occurred,  and  the  news  of 
it  has  gone  far  and  wide  among  our  native  Christians. 
Formerly  the  person  of  a priest  was  immune  to  all  pro- 
cesses of  the  civil  law.  It  comes  as  a great  shock  to  these 
men  who  have  ruled  like  despots  in  every  community  to 
find  that  under  the  American  flag  that  kind  of  thing  has 
its  limits,  and  that  they  must  answer  before  the  judges 
of  our  courts  for  offenses  committed  precisely  as  any  one 
else  who  has  broken  the  law: 

The  following  quotations  from  the  travel  diaries  of 
some  of  the  colporteurs  will  show  what  the  difficulties  and 
rewards  of  their  work  are : 

“From  Dagupan  to  Sto.  Tomas  is  a distance  of  thirty 
miles,  and  we  were  obliged  to  do  it  on  foot  by  the  side 
of  an  ox-cart  which  conveyed  our  books.  It  was  a long 
and  hard  day’s  march.  We  left  Dagupan  at  half-past 
seven  in  the  morning,  and  reached  our  destination  just 
as  taps  sounded  at  nine  o’clock.  We  reported  to  the  ser- 
geant in  charge,  had  our  books  unloaded  and  cared  for, 
and  were  shown  places  to  lie  down.  A little  supper 
would  have  tasted  good  about  that  time,  for  all  we  had 
had  to  eat  on  that  long  tramp  was  a small  slice  of  bread 
and  some  bananas ; but  there  was  no  help  for  it,  and  we 
retired  to  our  plank  bed  to  dream  of  the  supper  we  should 
have  had. 

“In  the  morning  we  had  an  interview  with  the  presi- 
dent about  our  work ; at  first  he  hesitated  because  the 
books  were  not  Catholic.  We  explained  that  they  were 
Christian.  He  read  passages;  his  counselors  read,  and 
at  last  bought  eagerly.” 

Mr.  Eeon  C.  Hills,  of  the  Presbyterian  Mission,  writes 
from  Iloilo : 

“The  distribution  of  the  Bible  is  meaning  much  to 


The  Bible  Societies. 


407 


the  Visayan  people.  One  not  interested  would  scarce  be- 
lieve, should  he  hear,  the  extent  of  distribution  the  Bible 
has  had  in  these  parts.  The  sale  of  Bibles  in  Spanish  and 
of  portions  in  Visayan  has  been  confined  quite  largely 
to  the  common  people.  This  is  well,  for  they  constitute 
the  most  fertile  soil  for  effective  propaganda.  The  idea 
of  having  a religion  in  which  they  can  read  and  think 
for  themselves  is  marvelous  to  their  eyes.  And  they  are 
capable  of  thinking  spiritual  thoughts,  such  as  are  often 
hidden  to  the  wise  and  prudent.” 

“In  regard  to  the  distribution  of  the  precious  Bible 
in  the  territory  of  Northern  Luzon,  it  may  safely  be  stated 
that  such  work  is  the  very  preparing  of  the  way  for  ef- 
fectual work  by  the  gospel  preacher.  People  who  have 
any  knowledge  of  God  at  all  wish  to  know  all  that  is  to 
be  known  of  Him,  and  when  they  know  that  God  has 
revealed  His  Word  and  will  in  such  a form  as  that  it  may 
indeed  be  read  and  studied,  may  be  grasped  by  all  through 
the  medium  of  language  or  dialect,  it  must  mean  that 
there  will  grow  a hungering  and  thirsting  for  it.  They 
have  now  tasted  of  the  good  Word  of  God,  and  they  find 
it  is  the  Word  of  life.” 

Mr.  Goodrich  says  in  his  report  for  1902: 

“Some  months  ago  we  received  a letter  from  an  aged 
presidente  in  the  interior  asking  for  a New  Testament. 
We  sent  him  two  Spanish-English  in  parallel  columns. 
In  reply  he  writes  the  following : 

“ ‘I  have  received  with  greatest  satisfaction  your  let- 
ter and  the  two  copies  of  the  New  Testament,  which  I 
have  read  with  great  care,  and  in  which  I have  at  last 
found  the  experience  of  a good  Christian.’ 

“ ‘It  is  true  that  the  religion  taught  by  the  Roman 
Catholic  Church  is  the  only  one  known  in  the  Philippines 
during  the  period  of  three  centuries,  during  which  time 
the  Filipinos  have  had  the  misfortune  of  living  with  the 
friars,  who  have  taught  nothing  else  than  the  doctrines 
made  by  them,  and  other  religious  books  than  their  own 
were  absolutely  prohibited.  I do  not  desire  to  attack  the 
authors  of  these  doctrines,  for,  in  my  humble  opinion, 


408  The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 

they  did  not  make  them  to  force  them  upon  the  people, 
but  for  those  who  wished  to  receive  them. 

“ ‘But  as  the  weather  changes,  so  has  changed  the 
fate  of  the  Filipinos.  Perhaps  God  has  so  ordained,  and 
we  have  now  the  opportunity  to  read  and  learn  the  truth 
concerning  the  soul,  especially  the  New  Testament  which 
has  been  lying  in  the  dark  abyss  of  the  ignorance  of  the 
people  because  the  Spanish  government  intrusted  to  the 
friars  the  religious  education  of  the  inhabitants  of  these 
Islands,  and  the  friars  had  refused  to  publish  the  truth 
for  fear  the  Filipinos  would  discover  their  false  doctrines 
and  erroneous  beliefs,  declaring  that  they  represented  the 
apostles  of  Jesus  Christ. 

“ ‘For  the  advancement  of  Christianity,  please  tell  us 
how  we  are  to  aid  you  financially  in  the  circulation  of 
the  Word  of  God.’  ” 

This  translation  and  distribution  of  the  Word  of  God 
carried  on  by  these  two  societies  makes  mission  work  pos- 
sible. Without  the  Scriptures  we  would  be  powerless. 
Wherever  our  men  go  they  find  the  ground  already  broken 
by  these  plowshares  of  truth. 


THE  BENGUET  ROAD. 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 


M I SSION  Alt  Y BKGJ  N N I N'GS. 

The  Holy  Spirit  never  throws  a land  open  to  evan- 
gelistic effort  until  the  burden  of  its  salvation  has  been 
placed  upon  the  hearts  of  His  children.  One  of  the  most 
convincing  proofs  that  any  one  can  have  of  the  intention 
of  the  Almighty  Lover  of  souls  to  open  a closed  land  is 
the  presence  of  this  holy  burden  upon  the  hearts  of  those 
whose  position  and  consecration  make  them  likely  instru- 
ments in  effecting  that  entrance  when  the  hour  of  God 
shall  strike. 

Many  hearts  were  burdened  for  the  salvation  of  the 
people  in  the  Philippine  Islands  long  before  the  barred 
doors  which  shut  out  all  evangelical  truth  were  blown  to 
shivers  by  the  iron  hail  of  Dewey's  conquering  fleet. 
Chief  among  those  wIiq  felt  this  burden,  and  who  took 
active  steps  to  make  possible  the  entrance  in  God’s  good 
time,  was  Dr.  James  Mills  Thoburn,  Missionary  Bishop 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  Southern  Asia. 
His  field  embraced  India,  Burmah,  “the  Malay  Peninsula 
and  all  adjacent  islands  inhabited  bv  the  Malay  race.” 
Though  this  precise  definition  of  that  field  was  not  inserted 
in  the  Discipline  of  the  Church  until  1896.  it  was  inserted 
for  the  reason  that  this  had  been  his  own  mental  definition 
of  it  from  the  beginning.  In  the  early  eighties  the  city 
of  Singapore  and  its  salvation  was  placed  upon  his  mind 
and  heart  in  a way  that  he  could  neither  explain  nor  shake 
off.  It  seemed  to  him  the  key  to  all  the  vast  island  world 

409 


410  The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 

of  the  East  Pacific.  He  was  buried  in  work  in  Calcutta. 
It  seemed  impracticable  to  undertake  the  founding  of  a 
Church  at  so  remote  a place.  But  the  impression  deep- 
ened into  a conviction  of  duty,  and  he  mentally  prepared 
to  be  obedient  to  what  had  come  to  be  clearly  “a  heavenly 
vision.”  When  Bishop  Hurst  arrived  in  India  in  1884 
to  hold  the  Conferences,  the  first  thing  he  said  to  Dr. 
Thoburn  was,  “Have  you  had  any  thought  of  occupying 
Singapore?”  Coming  as  it  did  after  these  spiritual  and 
mental  struggles,  this  question  was  accepted  by  Dr.  Tho- 
burn as  the  final  word  of  the  Lord  in  the  case.  At  the 
Conference  that  followed  the  name  of  Rev.  W.  F.  Oldham 
was  “read  out”  for  Singapore.  As  soon  as  possible  after 
Conference,  arrangements  were  made  to  go  to  that  far- 
away city.  Friends  made  up  a fund  sufficient  to  pay  the 
way  of  Dr.  Thoburn  and  wife  and  the  Oldhams  to  Singa- 
pore, and  they  trusted  the  Lord  to  enable  such  as  needed 
to  do  so  to  return.  They  were  warmly  welcomed  by  peo- 
ple of  God  who  had  in  a strange  way  been  led  to  expect 
such  help,  and  within  a few  weeks  had  seen  the  salvation 
of  at  least  three  scores  of  souls — chiefly  among  the  English 
and  Eurasian  population — the  purchase  of  a desirable  lot 
for  a church,  and  the  installation  of  a pastor  where  there 
had  been  neither  church  nor  congregation  until  their  ar- 
rival. Thus  was  occupied  and  fortified  the  city  which  was 
to  prove  the  starting-point  for  the  on-march  of  the  Church 
to  the  heart  of  the  Philippines. 

It  is  instructive  to  note  the  dates  of  these  respective 
steps  in  the  Divine  approaches  to  the  spiritual  conquest 
of  the  Malay  Archipelago.  It  was  in  1883  that  the  burden 
first  began  to  rest  upon  Dr.  Thoburn.  It  was  in  1884  that 
Bishop  Hurst  and  Rev.  W.  F.  Oldham  were  led  of  the  self- 
same Spirit  to  feel  its  weight.  It  was  early  in  1885  that 
the  first  parallel  was  advanced  against  the  enemy’s  po- 


Missionary  Beginnings. 


411 


sition,  in  the  occupation  of  Singapore.  It  was  in  1887  that 
Seiior  Lallave  first  felt  impelled  to  return  to  the  islands 
where  he  had  served  as  a Catholic  friar,  and  give  the  peo- 
ple the  pure  Word  of  God,  and  to  that  end  translated  and 
had  printed  by  the  British  and  Foreign  Bible  Society  por- 
tions of  that  Word  in  one  of  the  languages  of  the  popula- 
tion. It  was  in  1889  that  Seiiors  Lallave  and  Castells 
entered  Manila  as  the  accredited  agents  of  that  pioneering 
society,  and  the  ex-monk  gave  up  his  life  as  a sacrifice  to 
the  bigotry  of  the  Spanish  friars.  It  was  then  a long  wait 
until  1898  when  the  causes  which  had  been  so  long  in 
operation  produced  the  outbreak  which  ultimately  over- 
threw Spain  both  in  Cuba  and  the  Philippines.  But  a day 
with  the  Lord  is  as  a thousand  years,  and  a thousand  years 
as  one  day.  He  waits,  but  He  forgets  not.  In  His  own 
good  time,  and  through  the  employment  of  agencies  which 
men  would  not  think  of  using,  he  opens  “the  two-leaved 
gates”  which  shut  His  children  away  from  their  largest 
liberty. 

Bishop  Thoburn  was  in  London  in  May,  1898,  on  his 
way  to  the  United  States.  He  was  awakened  on  the  morn- 
ing of  May  2d  by  a newsboy  crying  the  paper  under  the 
window  of  his  hotel.  Above  the  general  indistinctness 
of  the  monotonous  call  rose  the  words,  “Manila  Bay!” 
The  bishop  rose,  purchased  a paper,  and  read  the  wonder- 
ful Jericho-like  victory  of  Commodore  Dewey  in  Manila 
Bay.  His  spirit  was  strangely  stirred.  He  saw  the  ful- 
fillment of  the  hopes  and  prayers  of  years.  God  had 
spoken.  The  Philippines  were  open  to  the  gospel.  He 
had  wondered  whether  it  would  be  Japan  or  Russia  or 
England,  or  perhaps  Germany,  in  search  of  new  Asiatic 
leverage,  that  would  drive  the  Spaniard  from  the  posses- 
sions which  he  had  wasted  and  robbed,  and  throw  them 
open  to  the  gospel  and  to  the  vitalizing  currents  of  the 


412  The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 

modern  world.  America  as  such  an  agent  had  never  been 
dreamed  of  as  a possibility.  But  here  it  was  before 
his  eyes.  The  flag  of  his  own  land  had  been  raised  over 
Manila  Bay,  and  it  had  been  raised  as  an  incident  of  a 
war  of  humanity  and  compassion.  It  would  stay.  It 
would  guarantee  liberty  and  the  possession  of  the  gospel 

by  the  millions  who 
were  groping  in  the 
mists  of  Romanism. 

He  immediately 
wrote  and  sent  to  the 
Christian  Advocate  an 
ordered  account  of 
the  steps  which  had 
led  to  this  interven- 
tion, foretold  perma- 
nent American  occu- 
pation, and  exhorted 
the  Churches  of  Prot- 
estantism to  enter  in 
the  name  of  the  Lord 
and  give  the  people 
ordinary  coasting  boat.  Qf  the  Philippines  a 

(Carries  fish,  chickens,  pigs,  and  passengers,  pure  gospel.  However 
Taken  near  Bataan  Province,  Orani. ) others  might  have 

been  stunned  by  the  news  from  Manila  that  May  morning, 
it  came  as  a long-expected  message  to  this  watcher.  With 
as  clear  a vision  as  though  the  events  of  the  past  five 
years  had  unrolled  before  his  eyes,  he  foretold  what  would 
happen,  and  what  should  be  the  policy  of  both  State  and 
Church  in  the  premises.  The  article  made  a profound  im- 
pression upon  some  readers  of  the  Advocate.  Others  made 
light  of  it,  and  said  it  was  visionary.  But  this  world  has 


M 1SSIOXARY  Bixinxings. 


413 


always  needed  the  man  who  could  see  visions,  and  the  race 
will  be  poor  indeed  when  those  to  whom  the  definite  prom- 
ise of  seeing  visions  was  made  let  their  spiritual  eyesight 
become  clouded.  It  was  visionary  in  a high  and  holy 
sense.  It  was  the  vision  of  the  man  who  waits  at  the  posts 
of  God's  doors,  and  hears  when  he  calls,  “Whom  shall  we 
send,  and  who  will  go  . 
for  us?”  From  Paul 
at  Troas  to  Thoburn 
in  London  may  seem 
a far  cry  to  some,  but 
who  will  say  that  it 
was  not  by  the  same 
Spirit  that  both  were 
led  to  see  the  vision 
of  needed  help  in  na- 
tions yet  unblessed 
with  the  pure  Word 
of  redemption? 

Bishop  Thoburn, 
after  a few  days,  re- 
turned to  the  United 
States,  and,  with  oth- 
ers like-minded,  did 
all  in  his  power  to  stir  the  Church  to  a sense  of  her  duty 
to  give  the  gospel  to  the  Filipino  people.  Two  other 
persons  now  come  into  view  in  the  commitment  of  large 
sections  of  the  Protestant  community  in  the  United 
States  to  a missionary  beginning  in  the  Philippines. 
These  are,  in  the  order  of  time,  Dr.  Arthur  J.  Brown, 
Foreign  Secretary  of  the  Presbyterian  Missionary  So- 
ciety, and  Dr.  George  F.  Pentecost.  Dr.  Brown  stirred 
up  the  society  of  which  he  was  secretary  to  take  action. 


OX-CARTS  IN  THE  BAY,  AWAITING  PAS- 
SENGERS FOR  THE  SHORE. 


414  The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 

On  the  6th  of  June,  1898,  that  society  took  preliminary 
steps  toward  “ the  opening  of  mission  work  in  the  Phil- 
ippine Islands.”  On  the  20th  of  June  the  Executive 
Council,  to  which  the  matter  had  been  referred,  reported 
that 

“The  Christian  people  of  America  should  immediately 
and  prayerfully  consider  the  duty  of  entering  the  door 
which  God  in  His  providence  is  thus  opening.  This  ap- 
pears to  be,  so  far  as  we  can  judge,  the  feeling  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church.  It  is  significant  that  already  let- 
ters have  come  to  the  Board  from  persons  in  five  different 
States  urging  the  importance  of  taking  up  this  work, 
and  making  offers  of  co-operation  in  men  and  money. 
. . . However,  it  is  only  fair  to  presume  that  this  senti- 

ment is  not  peculiar  to  Presbyterians.  Indeed,  there  are 
rumors  that  the  Foreign  Missions  Boards  of  other 
Churches  are  disposed  to  consider  the  relation  of  their 
Boards  to  these  opening  fields.  We  feel  that  it  would  be 
quite  unfortunate  if  several  Boards  should  enter  any  one 
of  these  fields  at  the  same  time,  thus  unnecessarily  dupli- 
cating expenses,  and  perhaps  introducing  elements  of 
rivalry.  . . . We  believe  that  the  new  situation  thus 

providentially  forced  upon  us  affords  us  excellent  op- 
portunity not  only  for  beginning  this  work,  but  for  be- 
ginning it  right  from  the  view-point  of  Christian  fel- 
lowship and  the  economical  use  of  men  and  money.  To 
this  end  we  recommend  that  the  Executive  Council  be 
directed  to  hold  an  early  conference  with  the  represen- 
tatives of  the  American  Board,  the  Baptist  Missionary 
Union,  the  Missionary  Society  of  the  Methodist  Episco- 
pal Church,  the  Board  of  Foreign  and  Domestic  Mis- 
sions of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  and  the  Board 
of  Foreign  Missions  of  the  Reformed  Church  in  America, 
with  a view  to  a frank  and  mutual  understanding  as  to 
the  responsibilities  of  American  Christians  for  the  people 
of  Cuba,  Porto  Rico,  and  the  Philippine  Islands,  and  an 
agreement  as  to  the  most  effective  distribution  of  the 
work  among  the  several  Boards,  if  it  shall  be  found  ex- 
pedient and  practicable  to  undertake  it.” 


Missionary  Beginnings. 


4i5 


On  July  13th  this  Conference  was  held.  As  a result, 
a perfectly  amicable  understanding  was  arrived  at  with 
regard  to  all  the  new  possessions.  In  July,  Dr.  George  F. 
Pentecost  spoke  before  a Bible  Conference  at  W inona 
Lake,  Indiana,  on  the  situation  created  for  the  nation  and 
for  Protestantism  in  the  Philippines,  and  with  great  power 
urged  the  occupation  of  the  Philippines  by  forces  of  evan- 
gelical Christianity.  God  spoke  that  day  by  the  mouth  of 
His  servant. 

A greater  degree  of  co-operation  was  never  seen  in  be- 
ginning a work  of  national  evangelism  than  in  the  plans 
for  the  occupation  of  the  Philippines.  The  Spirit  removed 
every  obstacle  to  the  best  and  most  effective  prosecution 
of  that  work  for  which  He  had  prepared  the  way. 

Chaplain  George  C.  Stull,  of  the  First  Montana  Volun- 
teers, a member  of  the  Montana  Conference,  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  held  the  first  Protestant  service  on 
shore  in  the  Philippines.  Here  is  the  entry  he  made  in  his 
journal : 

“Sunday,  August  28,  1898. — What  a wonderful  day 
this  has  been!  Arose  early  from  my  bed  in  the  Mortuary 
Chapel  and  looked  about  for  a place  to  hold  services.  The 
most  acceptable  place  was  one  of  the  old  Spanish  dun- 
geons facing  the  bay.  Dark  and  gloomy.  But  the  sun  was 
shining,  and  the  men  came,  and  the  natives  sat  about  on 
the  outside  and  near  the  door  and  barred  windows.  How 
we  sang ; how  the  place  was  transformed ; how  the  people 
wondered  at  our  service ! My  text  was,  ‘The  power  of 
God.’  How  He  showed  Himself  to  us.  Eight  responded 
to  the  invitation  at  the  close  of  the  service  to  identify 
themselves  with  God’s  people ; not  to  start  a Methodist 
Church,  but  to  band  together  to  honor  God.  This  was 
the  first  distinctive  Protestant  religious  service,  so  the 
people  tell  me ; for  to  hold  any  but  the  State  service  here- 
tofore meant  death.  That  the  power  of  God  will  use  this 
day  to  make  a good  Catholic  better,  any  weak  American 


416  The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 

stronger,  any  backslider  ashamed,  and  the  gloomy  old 
dungeon  the  beginning  of  wonderful  things  in  these 
Islands,  is  my  prayer.” 

Meantime  the  Spirit  was  also  at  work  in  the  Philip- 
pines raising  up  those  who  would  come  to  the  aid  of  the 
first  workers,  and  by  whose  familiarity  with  local  con- 
ditions, the  native  languages,  and  the  needs  of  the  multi- 
tudes, the  planting  of  the  new  Churches  was  to  be  facili- 
tated. Three  names  emerge  from  the  goodly  number  of 
these  early  instruments  of  the  work  of  God  in  the  work 
of  opening  the  Philippines  to  the  gospel.  These  are 
Arthur  W.  Prautch,  Paulino  Zamora,  and  Nicholas  Za- 
mora. The  first  named  is  an  American  who  labored  for 
some  twelve  years  in  connection  with  the  Bombay  Con- 
ference of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  but  who  came 
to  Manila  to  carry  on  business  and  at  the  same  time  help 
found  the  work  of  the  Church  early  in  1898,  as  it  was 
possible  for  him  to  get  passage  from  San  Francisco.  The 
second  named  is  one  of  the  thousands  who  had  suffered 
at  the  hands  of  the  friars ; and  the  last  is  his  son,  a man 
now  less  than  thirty  years  of  age.  Senor  Paulino  Za- 
mora had  many  ties  to  bind  him  to  the  Catholic  Church. 
His  uncle  was  a prominent  Filipino  priest.  His  brother 
was  also  a priest.  His  son  Nicholas  was  as  good  as 
named  for  the  priesthood  when  he  should  have  completed 
his  course  in  the  College  of  Santo  Tomas  and  secured 
the  necessary  training  in  theology.  But  one  act  of  black- 
injustice  opened  his  eyes  to  the  hollowness  of  Roman- 
istic  pretensions  of  piety,  and  to  the  pitiless  cruelty  of 
her  accredited  ministers  when  their  plans  were  interfered 
with  by  Filipinos. 

The  uncle  of  Senor  Zamora  was  one  of  many  Filipino 
priests  who  firmly  believed  that  friars  were  legally  dis- 
qualified to  hold  parish  curacies,  and  stood  ready  to  cite 


Missionary  Beginnings. 


417 


chapter  and  section  of  Church  law  to  clinch  their  claim. 
But  everywhere  that  the  livings  of  the  curate  were  re- 
munerative friars  were  in  charge.  They  claimed  that 
Filipino  priests  were  incompetent,  and  that  it  was  in- 
cumbent upon  them  thus  to  fill  the  positions  of  importance 
until  a Filipino  priesthood  having  the  necessary  qual- 
ifications of  character  and  learning  could  be  raised  up. 
Meantime  they  did  little  but  decry  the  possibility  of  mak- 
ing priests  of  the  natives  of  the  country,  and  made  but 
feeble  attempts  to  give  to  even  the  most  promising  that 
thorough  preparation  which  could  alone  qualify  them 
for  the  work.  This  party  of  opposition  to  the  program 
of  the  friars  waxed  more  and  more  strong  and  became 
more  outspoken  from  year  to  year.  Finally,  in  1872,  as 
is  firmly  believed  by  those  informed,  the  friars  stirred 
up  an  insurrection  in  which  no  one  but  their  own  tools 
and  dummies  performed  any  acts  that  would  lay  them 
open  to  the  charge  of  being  violaters  of  the  law.  These 
they  protected  bv  their  powerful  influence  in  official 
quarters.  As  soon  as  the  first  moves  had  been  checked, 
and  the  so-called  “insurrection”  put  down,  they  took  oc- 
casion, however,  to  bring  the  leaders  of  this  movement 
against  friar  curacies  under  suspicion  as  the  instigators 
of  the  insurrection.  By  means  of  questionable  evidence 
they  proved  some  of  them  guilty  of  having  fomented 
the  uprising,  and  they  were  sentenced  to  death  by  the 
score ! 

Reference  has  already  been  made  to  this  bloody  chap- 
ter of  friar  history  (Chapter  VIII).  Among  the  victims 
that  were  shot  on  the  Luneta  as  guilty  of  treason  was 
this  relative.  Paulino  Zamora  knew  he  was  innocent. 
Forbidden  all  his  life  to  allow  his  own  judgment  to  de- 
cide any  question  upon  which  the  Church  had  pronounced, 
or  to  criticise  any  action  taken  by  her  officials,  he  now  saw 
27 


418  The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 

that  he  must  abandon  all  use  of  his  reason  if  he  accepted 
this  deed  of  perfidy  and  blood  as  right  in  the  sight  of 
God.  His  disaffection  led  him  to  procure  a copy  of  the 
Scriptures  in  Spanish.  This  he  studied  in  secret,  hiding 
it  away  from  the  notice  of  any  one  likely  to  bring  its 
possession  to  the  notice  of  the  friars.  In  reading  the 
words  of  Christ  the  scales  fell  from  his  eyes,  and  he  saw 
that  the  system  of  the  priesthood  is  a human  invention. 
During  the  long  years  that  followed  he  became  a marked 
man — a Bible  reader!  When  the  insurrection  of  1896 
broke  out  he  was  caught  in  the  dragnet  let  down  into 
Manila  depths  by  orders  of  a government  acting  under 
the  direction  of  the  friars.  He  was  banished  to  the  island 
of  Chafarina,  in  the  Mediterranean,  north  of  Africa. 
Nearly  three  hundred  others,  also  under  friar  condemna- 
tion, accompanied  him  in  the  prison-ship,  many  of  whom 
died  from  the  rigors  of  their  treatment  on  the  way.  He 
was  there  until  the  signing  of  the  Treaty  of  Paris,  and 
was  one  of  the  many  prisoners  for  conscience’  sake  set 
at  liberty  under  its  provisions.  He  immediately  went  to 
Spain,  where  he  sought  out  religious  services  of  the 
Protestants,  of  whom  he  had  until  that  time  only  read 
and  heard.  He  found  his  spirit  refreshed  as  he  com- 
muned with  them,  and,  loaded  with  Bibles  and  Testa- 
ments, and  filled  with  a desire  to  carry  to  his  countrymen 
the  Gospel  of  Christ  in  its  simplicity,  he  returned  to  his 
home  in  which,  at  last,  it  was  safe  to  worship  God  ac- 
cording to  the  dictates  of  his  own  conscience. 

In  his  absence  his  son  had  completed  his  course  in 
the  College  of  Santo  Tomas,  and  had  received  his  Mas- 
ter’s degree.  Already  imbued  with  his  father’s  ideas  of 
true  religion  from  long  secret  study  of  the  Scriptures, 
he  was  ready  to  avow  his  faith  in  Christ  as  a personal 
Savior  when  his  exiled  father  again  ventured  back  where 


Missionary  Bkginnings. 


419 


he  had  heard  that  the  Stars  and  Stripes  protected  him. 
Soon  they  were  both  in  attendance  upon,  and  aiding  in, 
services  established  for  their  countrymen.  God  owned 
their  labors,  and,  after  nearly  five  years,  they  are  both 
standing  firmly  and  boldly  for  the  truth  that  Christ  is 
the  Savior  of  the  individual,  and  that  all  who  call  on  the 
name  of  the  Lord  shall  be  saved.  Many  worked  with 
them : but  these  are  fairly  representative  names  to  be 
remembered  by  those  who  would  keep  in  mind  the  won- 
derful story  of  how  God  the  Spirit  prepared  the  human 
agents  who  were  to  open  the  doors  of  life  to  the  Filipino 
people. 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 


The  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  : Beginnings. 

The  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  was  the  first  to 
send  a regularly  accredited  representative  of  its  Mis- 
sionary Society  to  found  its  work  in  the  Philippine 
Islands.  That  representative  was  Bishop  James  M. 
Thoburn,  D.  D.,  in  episcopal  charge  of  Southern  Asia. 
His  instructions  came  to  him  by  cable  from  Bishop  An- 
drews and  Dr.  Adna  B.  Leonard,  secretary  of  the  Mis- 
sionary Society  of  that  Church,  in  February,  1899,  while 
he  was  holding  the  annual  session  of  the  Malaysia  Mis- 
sion Conference  in  the  city  of  Singapore,  to  which  he 
had  been  strangely  led  from  Calcutta  in  1885. 

It  was  good  news  to  the  bishop.  His  heart  had  longed 
for  such  orders  for  more  than  a decade  of  investigation 
and  prayer  for  open  doors  to  the  Filipino  people.  Now 
the  doors  were  open.  The  orders  had  come.  It  was  a 
period  of  storm  and  stress  in  the  Philippines.  On  the 
4th  of  February  had  occurred  the  outbreak  of  hostilities 
between  the  Filipinos  and  American  troops,  and  rebel- 
lion was  aflame  on  all  hands.  But  it  was  with  keen  de- 
light that  the  bishop  set  out  on  this  trip,  which  he  well 
knew  was  to  make  history. 

On  March  2,  1899,  he  preached  his  first  sermon  in 
Manila.  Mr.  A.  W.  Prautch,  to  whom  reference  was 
made  in  the  preceding  chapter,  secured  the  Filipino 
theater  in  Calle  Echague,  and  about  one  hundred  per- 
sons gathered  to  hear.  It  was  a service  held  under  diffi- 


420 


Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  421 

eulties.  Firing  was  going  on  so  near  the  city  that  the 
shots  could  be  plainly  heard.  All  the  city  was  under 
strict  military  guard.  Permission  to  hold  the  service  had 
to  be  secured  from  the  commanding  officer  of  the  city. 
Nearly  all  the  Americans  in  Manila  were  soldiers,  and 
practically  all  of  these  were  either  on  duty  or  in  momen- 
tary expectation  of  a call  to  duty.  Filipinos  had  not  yet 
learned  much  of  their  privileges  in  the  matter  of  attend- 
ance upon  any  form  of  non-Catholic  services,  and  a serv- 
ice of  a religious  character  held  in  a theater  was  not 
inviting  to  them.  There  were  few  of  the  customary  aids 
to  worship;  but  the  Spirit  of  prophecy  rested  upon  the 
speaker.  He  traced  the  history  of  God’s  kingdom  in 
Asia,  showed  the  providential  character  of  American  oc- 
cupation, and  spoke  freely  of  the  evident  purpose  of  God 
to  make  possible  to  the  entire  Filipino  people  a career 
of  peace  and  righteousness.  With  great  power  the  bishop 
enforced  the  text,  “He  shall  not  fail  nor  be  discouraged 
till  he  have  set  judgment  in  the  earth;  and  the  isles  shall 
wait  for  his  law.”  In  the  afternoon  of  the  same  day  he 
spoke  in  one  of  the  military  hospitals.  During  his  stay 
of  two  weeks  several  steps  were  taken  looking  toward  a 
permanent  occupation  of  Manila  and  the  Philippines.  A 
Church  was  organized.  Arrangements  were  made  to 
carry  forward  regular  preaching  services  in  both  English 
and  Tagalog.  Mr.  Prautch  received  license  as  a local 
preacher,  and  the  aid  of  Chaplain  George  C.  Stull,  of 
Montana,  and  other  workers  who  had  a mind  to  help, 
was  enlisted  in  maintaining  these  services  until  the  ar- 
rival of  regularly-appointed  workers  from  the  United 
States. 

A Soldiers’  Institute  was  opened  under  the  care  of 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Prautch.  It  had  a great  field  among  the 
crowds  of  soldiers,  mostly  volunteers,  many  of  whom 


422  The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 


had  never  been  away  from  their  homes  until  they  came 
to  this  distant  part  of  the  world.  There  was  much  home- 
sickness. Much  of  the  drinking  which  disgraced  us  as 
a nation  from  Yokohama  to  Adelaide  was  due  to  the 
fact  that  the  army  furnished  its  men  beer  in  the  can- 
teen ; but  no  recreation- 
rooms  were  furnished, 
and  no  facilities  with 
which  to  while  away  the 
hours  that  hung  so  heav- 
ily. The  military"  gov- 
ernment also  permitted 
greedy-  brewers  to  import 
unlimited  amounts  o f 
American  liquors  and 
keep  it  on  sale  in  the  most 
public  thoroughfares. 
The  yearly  license  fee 
for  a saloon  in  Manila  was 
fixed  at  only  $4.  Among 
these  soldier  lads,  only 
God  will  ever  know  how 
much  of  lasting  good  was 
done  by  those  who  kept 
open  this  place  of  refuge 

REV.  NICHOLAS  zamora.  and  hoPe-  Captain  Plum- 

mer, a business  man  in 
Manila,  gave  lavishly  of  his  money  and  time  to  make 
this  Soldiers’  Home  a success.  His  sudden  death  in  the 
latter  part  of  1899  was  the  first  serious  blow  that  was 
suffered  by  the  infant  Church.  The  help  rendered  by 
Chaplain  Stull  and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Prautch  was  invalu- 
able. Without  their  labors  in  preaching  and  in  carrying 


Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 


423 


forward  the  work,  it  would  have  been  impossible  to 
make  the  beginning. 

Mr.  Prautch  soon  opened  regular  services  for  Fili- 
pinos, speaking  as  best  he  could  in  the  Spanish  which 
he  had  picked  up  in  Manila,  or  using  the  services  of  two 
interpreters.  The  attend- 
ance at  these  meetings 
in  the  Soldiers’  Institute 
grew.  Timid  souls  who 
had  worshiped  God  in 
secret  for  many  years,  but 
who  had  never  dared 
openly  to  own  a Bible, 
came  one  by  one  into 
these  services,  and  went 
away  to  invite  others.  By 
little  and  little  it  became  I 
clear  to  the  native  people 
that  under  the  flag  of  the 
United  States  they  were 
really  at  liberty  to  wor- 
ship as  they  chose.  It 
was  a boon  so  precious 
that  they  hardly  dared  to 
accept  it.  The  hated  friars 
were  still  in  the  city.  It  mr.  paclino  zamora. 

was  long  before  they  could 

be  made  to  see,  and  to  this  day  the  poor  people  in  the  prov- 
inces do  not  see,  that  the  day  of  friar  rule  is  over,  and  that 
no  more  will  men  be  flogged  at  the  church  doors,  or  fed 
011  pounded  glass  by  hired  assassins,  or  sent  into  foreign 
penal  colonies,  or  shot  by  firing  squads,  for  presuming 
to  worship  God  after  the  dictates  of  their  own  hearts. 


424  The  Philippines  and  the  Par  Hast. 

The  disturbed  conditions  made  it  a marvel  that  religious 
services  could  be  held  at  all.  The  most  intense  excite- 
ment prevailed  on  all  hands.  Battles  were  the  order  of 
the  day.  There  was  scarcely  a family  in  Manila  that 
did  not  have  some  personal  interest  at  stake  in  the  con- 
flict which  had  been  brought  on  by  the  headlong  personal 
ambition  of  Aguinaldo  and  a few  who  were  associated 
with  him.  But  in  the  storm  of  war  the  infant  Church 
was  being  securely  rooted  in  Philippine  soil. 

Among  those  who  came  to  worship  was  Sehor  Paulino 
Zamora  and  his  son  Sehor  Nicholas  Zamora.  More  than 
any  others  who  came  at  that  time,  these  men  were  famil- 
iar with  the  Scriptures  and  with  the  tenets  of  Protestants 
generally.  The  elder  had  suffered  sorely  for  his  faith, 
and  was  full  of  zeal  for  the  salvation  of  his  own  people. 
The  younger  was  warm  in  his  attachment  to  the  new 
faith,  but  had  not  yet  rendered  any  service  to  the  cause. 
Mr.  Prautch  was  much  troubled  to  find  interpreters  and 
speakers  for  his  meetings.  Only  those  who  have  stood 
before  audiences  speaking  other  tongues  can  appreciate 
how  helpless  a man  is  who  has  a message,  but  has  no 
power  to  utter  it,  and  is  unable  to  find  those  who  can 
put  his  thoughts  into  verbal  forms  familiar  to  those  to 
whom  he  would  address  himself.  In  one  of  his  times  of 
quandary  he  pressed  the  elder  Zamora  to  speak.  He 
declined,  saying  that  it  was  not  possible  for  him  to  be  a 
public  speaker,  as  he  had  neither  the  gift  nor  the  prepara- 
tion for  such  a work.  Mr.  Prautch  then  pressed  Senor 
Nicholas  to  tell  the  people  what  God  had  done  for  him, 
and  how  he  had  opened  his  eyes,  and  immediately  the 
spokesman  needed  for  the  hour  stood  forth ! Brother 
Zamora  arose,  and  began  to  speak  to  the  people  in  their 
own  tongue  in  which  they  were  born.  After  the  first 
sentences  he  spoke  freely,  and  as  he  warmed  to  his  story 


BISHOP  H.  W.  WARREN  AND  ENTIRE  AMERICAN  STAFF  OF  THE  METHODIST  MISSION  IN  OCTOBER,  I903. 

M.  A.  RADER.  HOMER  C.  STUNTZ.  BISHOP  H.  VV.  WARREN.  J.  L.  m'LAUGHLIN.  VV.  A.  GOODELL. 


Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  427 

lie  spoke  with  ease  and  power.  For  absolutely  the  first 
time  in  the  history  of  the  Filipino  race  they  heard  from 
one  of  their  own  number  the  Word  of  God  as  it  was 
written.  From  that  time  this  new  Filipino  preacher  was 
kept  to  his  newly-discovered  work.  Mr.  Prautch  opened 
services  in  other  places  as  opportunity  offered,  and 
kept  him  at  work  telling  the  good  news  to  his  country- 
men. His  father  aided  in  all  ways  in  his  power,  and 
crowds  filled  any  building  in  which  Nicholas  was  an- 
nounced to  speak.  Meantime  he  was  coming  into  deeper 
spiritual  experiences,  led  and  taught  of  God  as  from  day 
to  day  he  pored  over  the  Word,  and  studied  the  Spanish 
books  which  his  father  had  brought  from  Spain,  and 
such  others  as  could  be  secured  from  Spanish  countries. 

During  all  of  1899  this  work  went  on,  and  until 
March  of  1900.  before  there  was  any  new  direction  given 
to  it.  Then  occurred  the  second  visit  of  Bishop  Tho- 
burn,  this  time  having  as  a traveling  companion  Dr. 
Frank  W.  Warne,  of  Calcutta,  who  was  elected  Mis- 
sionary Bishop  in  May  of  the  same  year.  Bishop  Tho- 
burn  was  in  very  frail  health.  His  heavy  burdens  of 
labor,  the  long  and  serious  illness  of  his  wife,  coming 
immediately  after  the  death  of  his  only  son.  were  too 
much  for  his  strength  to  bear.  But  his  mind  was  as 
clear  as  ever.  He  immediately  saw  in  Nicholas  a man 
whom  God  had  raised  up  and  thrust  out  into  this  field 
for  special  service.  After  examining  him  and  listening 
to  his  preaching,  he  resolved  to  ordain  Nicholas  Zamora 
to  the  Christian  ministry.  According  to  the  law  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  no  man  can  be  ordained 
to  the  ministry  until  he  has  been  elected  to  membership 
in  an  Annual  Conference  on  trial,  and  then,  on  a separate 
and  specific  motion,  elected  by  his  brethren  to  receive 
ordination.  It  was  necessary,  therefore,  that  Brother 


428  The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 

Zamora  be  received  into  an  Annual  Conference  and  so 
elected.  But  the  Conference  within  the  bounds  of  which 
the  Philippines  would  be  embraced  had  already  adjourned. 
No  other  Conference  in  Asia  was  then  in  session.  By 
reference  to  his  schedule  of  Conferences  in  the  United 
States  he  saw  that  the  South  Kansas  Conference  was 
then  in  session  in  Chanute,  Kansas,  under  the  presidency 
of  Bishop  Vincent.  He  sent  a cablegram  to  Bishop  Vin- 
cent through  Dr.  Leonard,  secretary  of  the  Missionary 
Society,  asking  that  Nicholas  Zamora  be  received  into 
the  South  Kansas  Conference,  elected  to  deacon’s  orders 
“under  the  Missionary  Rule,”  and  transferred  to  the 
Malaysia  Conference  for  ordination,  and  that  an  immedi- 
ate reply  be  sent  to  him  at  Manila  when  such  action  had 
been  taken.  It  was  a bold  move.  Probably  no  Annual 
Conference  had  ever  been  asked  to  receive  a man  on  trial 
who  had  not  been  recommended  in  due  form  by  the  regu- 
lar authorities,  and  examined  by  its  own  committees. 
But  the  South  Kansas  Conference  rose  to  the  occasion. 
Dr.  Henry  J.  Coker  moved  that  the  request  of  Bishop 
Thoburn  be  granted,  and  said  that  for  him  no  recom- 
mendation by  a Conference  Committee  could  have  greater 
weight  than  this  silent  request  which  came  throbbing 
under  the  seas  from  Bishop  James  M.  Thoburn,  away  on 
the  firing-line  of  the  Church  in  the  Far  East.  The  mo- 
tion was  put  by  Bishop  Vincent,  and  carried  with  great 
enthusiasm.  The  South  Kansas  brethren  are  thus  linked 
with  the  work  in  the  Philippines  in  a peculiarly  sacred 
way.  It  was  by  their  franchises  that  our  first  Filipino 
minister  was  permitted  to  receive  ordination. 

As  soon  as  the  cable  had  come  from  Dr.  Leonard 
saying  that  all  things  had  been  done  as  he  had  requested, 
the  bishop  proceeded  to  ordain  Brother  Nicholas  Zamora 
as  deacon  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  It  was 


Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 


429 


a solemn  occasion,  and  all  care  was  taken  to  make  it  full 
of  holy  meaning  to  this  Philippine  Timothy.  The  ordi- 
nation service  was  a quiet  one.  The  kingdom  of  God 
cometh  not  with  observation.  Spiritual  forces  are  seldom 
attended  with  pomp  and  circumstance.  The  voice  of 
God  was  not  in  the  whirlwind  nor  in  the  earthquake,  but 
in  the  still  small  voice  that  followed  both.  Results  have 
shown  that  the  work  of  that  day  was  scaled  with  the 
blessing  of  that  Spirit  who  said  to  the  Church  in  Antioch, 
“Separate  unto  me  Barnabas  and  Saul  for  the  work  where- 
unto  I have  called  them.”  Nicholas  has  been  preaching 
practically  every  day  from  the  hour  of  his  ordination, 
and  he  has  seen  many  others  of  his  own  countrymen  de- 
veloped who  have  for  more  than  three  years  now  borne 
with  him,  and  with  the  Americans  who  have  been  sent, 
the  burden  of  telling  the  people  what  Christ  can  do  for 
all  who  call  upon  him. 

During  the  latter  part  of  1900  four  ladies  came  to  the 
Philippines  at  the  instance  of  the  Woman’s  Foreign  Mis- 
sionary Society  to  carry  forward  school  work  and  work 
for  the  soldiers.  These  were  Miss  Julia  E.  Wisner,  for- 
merly of  the  Girls’  School,  Rangoon,  Burmah ; Miss 
Margaret  Cody,  a trained  kindergartner ; Mrs.  Annie 
Norton,  M.  D.,  a medical  missionary;  and  Mrs.  Moots, 
who  came  to  nurse  her  son  who  lay  ill  in  a hospital  in 
Manila.  Mrs.  Moots  had  arranged  with  the  Woman’s 
Foreign  Missionary  Society  authorities  to  undertake 
such  work  as  she  found  possible  among  the  soldiers  after 
her  arrival,  and  after  the  death  of  her  son  she  was  regu- 
larly maintained  by  that  society  while  she  was  in  the 
Philippines.  Miss  Wisner  and  Miss  Cody  were  sent  out 
to  establish  a boarding-school  for  Filipino  girls.  From 
glowing  reports  sent  to  the  United  States  as  to  the  eager- 
ness of  the  Filipino  people  to  study  English  it  was  made 


430  The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 

to  appear  that  such  a school  would  be  filled  with  pupils 
from  the  day  it  opened  its  doors.  The  ladies  lost  no 
time  in  providing  workers  and  sending  them  on.  Two 
things  militated  against  their  success : First,  sufficient 
time  had  not  elapsed  to  give  the  Filipino  people  confi- 
dence that  Protestant  schools  were  fit  places  to  send  their 
daughters.  They  had  always  heard  Protestants  reviled 


METHODIST  CHAPEL ATLAG,  MALOLOS. 

as  “dogs,”  or  “the  spawn  of  hell,”  and  had  most  mistaken 
ideas  of  our  character  and  mission.  Second,  the  govern- 
ment opened  up  its  educational  program  at  the  time  when 
these  ladies  had  opened  their  school,  and  free  education 
in  all  the  branches  which  they  would  pursue  in  the  board- 
ing-school could  be  had  at  the  day-school,  and  the  pupils 
be  with  their  parents.  The  latter  fact  would  have  been 
sufficient  to  defeat  tbe  project.  In  any  case  it  was  found 
impracticable  at  that  time  to  carry  forward  the  kind  of 


Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 


43 1 


work  for  which  they  had  come,  and  later  in  the  year  of 
1900  it  was  discontinued,  and  Miss  Wisner  and  Miss 
Cody  sent  to  schools  in  India  and  Singapore,  respectively. 

Mrs.  Moots  carried  on  her  work  with  great  zeal  and 
success  until  the  last  of  the  volunteer  regiments  had  been 
returned  to  the  States,  and  then  her  health  demanded  a 
change,  and  she  returned  early  in  1902. 


REV.  FELIPE  MARQUEZ  AND  SONS. 

Mrs.  Annie  Norton  found  so  little  response  to  her 
efforts  as  a medical  missionary  that  it  was  deemed  wisest 
to  use  her  medical  skill  in  lands  where  such  aid  is  needed, 
not  only  for  its  own  sake,  but  as  a means  of  opening 
doors  of  opportunity  for  the  entrance  of  the  truth. 

Our  chief  opportunity  was  evangelistic.  The  people 
wanted  the  gospel.  Thev  were  ready  to  hear  it  by  the 
thousand.  We  did  not  need  medical  missions  to  open 
the  doors.  Therefore  it  was  deemed  wisest  to  permit 


432  The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 


Mrs.  Norton  to  use  her  medical  knowledge  in  a field 
where  there  was  more  demand  for  it  than  in  the  Philip- 
pines, while  women  should  be  sent  to  the  Philippines  to 
enter  vernacular  work,  learn  the  languages,  and  begin 
the  education  and  training  of  women  and  girls  for  the 
part  they  must  play  in  the  salvation  of  their  people.  Mrs. 
Norton  sailed  for  India  late  in  1902. 

In  his  report  to  the  General  Conference  of  1900 
Bishop  Thoburn  says : 

“But  our  most  noted  advance  [during  the  quadren- 
nium  then  closed]  has  been  in  the  new  American  posses- 
sions in  the  Far  East.  By  the  action  of  the  last  Gen- 
eral Conference  these  rich  and  beautiful  Islands  had  been 
included  in  the  Malaysia  Conference,  and  accordingly, 
as  soon  as  they  had  been  formally  ceded  to  the  United 
States,  Bishop  Andrews  and  Dr.  Leonard,  acting  in  be- 
half of  the  Missionary  Society,  cabled  to  me  a request 
to  proceed  to  Manila  and  carefully  examine  the  situation. 
For  more  than  a dozen  years  God  had  been  turning  my 
thoughts  in  that  direction,  and  it  was  with  a thankful 
heart  that  I set  out  upon  that  voyage.  My  stay  in  Ma- 
nila was  brief ; but  I secured  a theater  and  began  preach- 
ing, and  before  leaving  made  arrangements  for  perma- 
nent religious  services.  I also  took  steps  to  open  a place 
both  for  religious  meetings  and  for  public  resort  for  our 
soldiers.  During  the  year  this  provisional  arrangement, 
although  attended  with  many  difficulties,  received  God's 
blessing,  and  when  I returned  two  months  ago,  I found 
not  only  a good  work  among  the  soldiers,  but  over  eighty 
Filipino  probationers  in  our  Church,  with  four  or  five 
well-attended  preaching-places  among  the  natives  of 
the  city  and  suburbs.  Owing  to  ill-health  I had  brought 
Dr.  F.  W.  Warne  with  me  from  Calcutta,  not  only  to 
do  the  preaching,  but  to  take  my  place  in  everything  ex- 
cept my  purely  official  duties.  God  blessed  this  good 
brother's  labors,  a revival  began,  and,  although  a dele- 
gate to  the  General  Conference,  he  cheerfully  remained 
behind  to  carry  on  the  work  for  a few  weeks,  while  I 


Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 


+33 


proceeded  on  my  way.  A recent  letter  from  Brother 
Warne  states  we  have  now  an  American  Church  in  Ma- 
nila with  fifty  members,  a Filipino  Church  with  two  hun- 
dred members,  and  weekly  services  attended  by  about  six 
hundred  Filipino  adherents.  Four  ladies  represent  the 
Woman’s  Foreign  Missionary  Society,  and  active  work 
has  been  commenced  among  the  Filipino  women.  We 
have  also  a small  but  hopeful  band  of  Chinese  Christians, 
and  in  the  early  future  hope  to  have  a vigorous  Chinese 
work  among  the  large  Chinese  populations  of  Manila. 
A few  hours  before  leaving  Manila  I had  the  pleasure  of 
ordaining  the  first  Protestant  Filipino  preacher  ever  ad- 
mitted to  the  Christian  ministry.  In  order  to  provide  for 
this  extraordinary  emergency  I cabled  to  Bishop  Vin- 
cent. through  Dr.  Leonard,  to  have  the  brother  admitted 
on  trial  by  the  South  Kansas  Conference,  elected  to  dea- 
con’s orders  under  the  Missionary  Rule,  and  transferred 
to  the  Malaysia  Mission  Conference.  A prompt  response 
enabled  me  to  place  an  intelligent  pastor  over  the  Filipino 
converts,  and  thereby  greatly  strengthen  the  brave  com- 
pany of  those  who  had  come  out  from  the  house  of 
priestly  bondage.  In  that  hour  of  need  I felt  devoutly 
thankful  that  I served  a Church  which  had  a flexible 
economy.” 


28 


A NIPA  HOUSE. 


CHAPTER  XXV. 


The  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. — Continued. 

It  was  more  than  a year  after  Bishop  Thoburn 
founded  the  mission  and  set  its  different  agencies  to 
work  before  the  arrival  of  a regular  missionary.  The 
first  man  appointed  was  Rev.  Thomas  H.  Martin,  who 
arrived  in  Manila  March  26,  1900.  He  was  followed 
on  the  9th  of  May  by  the  Rev.  Jesse  L.  McLaughlin  and 
wife,  and  in  November,  Rev.  W.  G.  Fritz  came  to  join 
these  first  arrivals. 

The  work  in  the  Philippines  was  made  a Presiding 
Elder’s  District  of  the  Malaysia  Conference,  and  Mr. 
McLaughlin  was  made  presiding  elder,  with  the  addi- 
tional burden  of  caring  for  the  work  in  Manila,  both 
Filipino  and  American. 

In  July,  Bishop  Warne  reached  the  Philippines  on 
his  way  back  to  his  field  in  India  and  Malaysia.  He 
held  the  first  District  Conference  in  August.  During 
the  session  of  this  body,  no  one  matter  was  more  plain 
to  the  minds  of  all  concerned  than  the  need  of  experienced 
leadership  in  the  pastorate  of  the  American  Church  and 
in  the  work  of  the  mission  in  general.  It  was  felt  by 
the  men  who  came  at  first  that  their  lack  of  years  and 
missionary  experience  was  certain  to  tell  against  their 
largest  effectiveness,  and  they,  as  well  as  others,  felt 
that  something  should  be  done  to  provide  this  kind  of 
help. 

On  the  24th  of  August  the  members  of  the  District 
434 


Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 


435 


Conference,  after  much  prayer  for  guidance,  and  with 
the  approval  of  Bishop  Warne,  united  in  a written  peti- 
tion asking  that  I leave  the  pastorate  at  Mount  Vernon, 
Iowa,  and  assume  the  pastorate  of  the  Church  for  “the 
unchurched  Americans  in  Manila  and  the  Philippines.” 
Believing  that  my  eight  years  in  India  would  be  of  great 
value  to  me  here,  as  soon  as  suitable  arrangements  could 
be  made  for  that  important  college  pastorate,  I came, 
doubting  not  that  I followed  the  Voice. 

I left  my  family  in  Iowa,  as  conditions  were  still  un- 
settled, rents  high,  and  the  cost  of  living  excessive.  Rev. 
Willard  A.  Goodell  accompanied  me,  and  makes  one  of 
our  effective  vernacular  missionaries  at  the  present  time. 
We  reached  Manila  April  19.  1901,  and  were  heartily 
welcomed,  and  I entered  immediately  on  my  new  duties 
as  pastor  of  the  American  Church  and  presiding  elder  of 
the  Philippines  District.  One  year  has  since  been  spent 
in  the  Open  Door  Emergency  campaign  in  the  United 
States ; but,  aside  from  that,  I have  been  in  the  field  to 
which  God  so  clearly  led  me. 

The  first  week  after  my  arrival  all  the  missions  then 
represented  in  the  Philippines  united  in  forming  what  is 
known  as  the  Evangelical  Union  of  the  Philippine  Islands, 
under  which  we  agreed  to  co-operate  for  the  most  speedy 
and  thorough  evangelization  of  the  entire  population. 

This  union  is  one  of  the  most  marked  of  all  the  larger 
movements  of  recent  times  toward  Church  federation  or 
unity,  and  deserves  a word  of  special  mention.  It  was 
formed  in  response  to  the  conviction  on  the  part  of  the 
men  on  the  field  that  it  would  be  a pity  to  inaugurate 
the  wasteful  missionary  program  in  the  Philippines  which 
has  come  into  play  in  older  fields.  The  action  of  the 
Boards  occupying  the  field  had  made  it  easy  for  their 
representatives  to  get  together  in  such  plans  as  would 


436  The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 

render  possible  the  most  rapid  and  effective  covering  of 
the  territory.  One  of  the  essential  features  of  this  organ- 
ization was  the  division  or  allotment  of  the  Archipelago 
among  the  various  missions  then  at  work,  so  that  each 
mission  became  responsible  for  the  evangelization  of  a 
well-defined  area,  thus  enabling  a small  force  to  cover  a 
wide  field  without  overlapping  or  friction.  In  this  ten- 
tative division,  which  was  to  be  observed  for  three  years, 
Methodism  was  assigned  all  the  island  of  Luzon  between 
Manila  and  Dagupan  from  sea  to  sea,  with  a free  hand  in 
Manila  itself.  Later  action  extended  that  field  hv  mak- 
ing it  cover  all  the  Cagayan  Valley,  and  according  the 
mission  equal  opportunities  for  work  in  the  Hill  province 
of  Benguet  with  all  other  Boards.  The  Presbyterians 
were  given  all  Southern  Luzon  by  the  same  agreement, 
and  they  and  the  Baptists  were  to  divide  the  work  in 
Panay  and  Negros  between  themselves  as  might  seem 
to  them  mutually  desirable.  The  United  Brethren  were 
allotted  the  coast  provinces  of  Northwest  Luzon — all 
Ilokano  territory,  and  one  of  the  most  ripe  for  imme- 
diate evangelism,  as  well  as  one  of  the  most  progressive 
and  prosperous  portions  of  the  entire  Islands.  Other 
islands  were  left  free  for  occupation  at  such  time  and 
in  such  manner  as  should  prove  best  adapted  for  the 
prosecution  of  the  whole  work. 

The  Presbyterians  had  begun  a fine  work  in  Bulacan 
and  Pampanga  provinces,  having  one  Church  organized 
at  Hagonoy,  and  a following  gathered  in  San  Fernando. 
Pampanga.  We  gave  them  our  work  in  Cavite,  and 
they  put  us  in  charge  of  their  congregations  in  the  places 
named,  and  the  work  of  permanent  occupation  of  our 
respective  portions  of  the  Philippines  immediately  began. 

It  was  immediately  seen  that  the  occupation  of  pro- 
vincial capitals  was  a necessity  in  so  far  as  possible. 


METHODIST  MISSION  PRESS,  MANILA. 


Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 


439 


American  missionaries  for  these  places  were  asked  for 
from  the  Board,  and  as  rapidly  as  possible  placed  in 
those  centers  in  which  ( i ) there  was  the  greatest  strate- 
gic significance,  and  (2)  the  most  urgent  invitation  and 
the  greatest  apparent  ripeness  for  evangelization.  On 
this  principle,  Malolos  and  San  Fernando,  Pampanga, 
were  almost  immediately  taken  possession  of,  and  plans 
laid  for  the  permanent  occupation  and  development  of 
Dagupan,  at  the  northern  extremity  of  the  only  railway 
in  Luzon — in  the  Philippines,  in  fact. 

It  was  speedily  found  that  the  Spanish  language  was 
of  no  value  as  a means  of  directly  reaching  and  influenc- 
ing the  native  population.  It  was  commonly  reported  to 
me  in  the  United  States  that  a Spanish-speaking  mis- 
sionary would  be  perfectly  at  home  here  from  the  first 
day,  and  able  to  command  a hearing  from  the  multitudes. 
That  impression  was  shown  to  be  totally  erroneous.  Ac- 
cording to  the  most  careful  estimates  made  by  men  of 
wide  familiarity  with  the  people,  not  more  than  eight 
per  cent  of  the  entire  Philippine  population  can  under- 
stand even  colloquial  Spanish.  The  other  ninety-two 
per  cent  must  be  reached  by  means  of  their  own  vernacu- 
lars. These  vernaculars  are  hard  to  acquire.  It  was 
with  great  reluctance  that  we  abandoned  hope  of  using 
the  Spanish  in  our  work.  Only  as  we  could  readily  find 
men  in  every  community  who  could  translate  our  preach- 
ing from  Spanish  into  the  birth-speech  of  the  people  was 
that  language  of  real  evangelistic  use  to  11s.  Hence  it 
became  necessary  at  the  very  outset  to  set  all  our  men 
and  women  to  the  mastery  of  these  Malayan  dialects,’ 
for  that  is  all  that  they  can  be  called.  They  are  sepa- 
rate languages  only  by  long  separation  of  the  peoples  who 
originally  came  to  the  Philippines  speaking  one  common 
Malayan  speech.  This  difficulty  nearly  dismayed  us.  It 


440  The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 

reached  very  far.  It  meant  that  not  only  our  speech  and 
our  preaching  must  be  in  these  comparatively  barren 
tongues,  but  that  in  them,  also,  all  our  periodical  litera- 
ture must  be  printed,  and  some  of  that  which  was  funda- 
mentally necessary  to  the  development  of  a native  min- 
istry. 

Not  a few  of  our  American  sympathizers  were  im- 
patient with  us  for  attempting  to  learn  and  use  the  local 
vernaculars.  Their  arguments  were  that  English  is  to 
be  the  official  language  of  the  Philippines  in  1906.  All 
the  public  schools  are  teaching  English.  All  business 
soon  will  be  done  in  English,  and  to  learn  and  use  the 
vernaculars  was  in  their  eyes  worse  than  a waste  of  time. 
It  was  an  indirect  way  of  defeating  the  effort  of  the 
schools  to  teach  the  English  speech  to  the  whole  people. 
They  insisted  that  within  a few  years  it  would  be  pos- 
sible to  reach  all  of  the  people  through  the  medium  of 
English,  and  until  that  time  we  would  far  better  employ 
interpreters.  All  such  argument  could  only  be  advanced 
by  men  and  women  who  had  never  come  into  close  daily 
contact  with  the  mass  of  the  native  population,  and  who, 
at  the  same  time,  were  quite  unfamiliar  with  the  efforts 
of  other  nations  to  change  the  common  speech  of  a whole 
people.  Upon  no  one  point  can  progress  be  made  so 
slowly  as  that  of  language.  People  will  adopt  political 
ideas,  social  improvements,  and  much  of  the  best  of  our 
science  and  culture  in  general ; but  to  throw  away  the 
language  learned  at  the  mother’s  knee  is  the  one  thing 
that  will  not  be  done,  or,  if  done  at  all,  done  so  tardily 
and  grudgingly  that  it  seems  destined  never  to  succeed. 

It  was  plain  to  those  of  us  who  were  charged  with 
the  responsibility  of  deciding  upon  a policy  in  the  case 
that  our  only  way  to  reach  the  generation  now  living 
was  by  means  of  their  own  speech.  The  schools  teach 


Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 


441 


English.  They  teach  it  well.  The  pupils  go  from  the 
school,  however,  to  speak  their  own  language  all  the 
time  they  are  not  in  the  schoolroom.  A few  hours  a day 
learning  a theoretical  notion  of  a foreign  tongue  enable 
the  student  to  make  but  slow  and  imperfect  headway, 
when  he  spends  twice  that  number  of  hours  in  speaking 
and  hearing  his  mother  tongue.  We  came  to  believe  that 
at  least  one  generation  must  pass  ofif  the  stage,  and  more 
likely  two  or  three,  before  evangelistic  work,  and  the 
work  of  building  up  a Church  in  the  knowledge  of  God, 
could  be  done  in  the  English  tongue  in  the  Philippines. 

In  October,  1901,  the  Official  Board  of  the  Central 
Church  (for  Americans)  bought  an  excellent  corner  lot 
for  the  church  which  is  needed  for  that  work.  It  was 
the  first  real  estate  bought  in  the  Philippines  for  the 
purposes  of  Protestantism.  One  other  property  had  been 
contracted  for  by  the  Episcopalians;  but  this  was  the 
first  that  was  actually  purchased  and  the  deed  placed 
upon  record.  The  Board  had  no  money.  The  entire 
$3,250  was  borrowed  from  our  friends  for  six  months 
without  interest.  Within  four  weeks  it  had  all  been 
raised  here  in  Manila,  less  than  one  hundred  dollars  com- 
ing from  good  friends  in  the  United  States  and  the 
provinces.  Major  E.  W.  Halford  was  a tower  of  strength 
to  us  in  this  first  real-estate  campaign,  as  he  was  in  all 
the  work  of  the  Church  and  of  the  Evangelical  Union. 
At  once  the  heroic  little  congregation  erected  a temporary 
chapel  seating  one  hundred  and  fifty,  and  this  was  dedi- 
cated free  from  debt  Sunday,  December  22,  1901 — the 
first  chapel  built  for  work  among  our  own  countrymen 
in  this  city  of  churches. 

On  January  I,  1902,  the  publication  of  the  Philippine 
Christian  Advocate  was  begun.  It  was  published  by  the 
Mission  Press,  and  printed  in  English,  Spanish,  and 


442  The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 

Tagalog.  This  lias  grown  into  an  arm  of  power  in  the 
work  whose  reach  and  strength  are  growing  daily.  It 
will  be  entirely  self-supporting  within  a year.  Mr.  Mc- 
Laughlin is  the  editor. 

Almost  at  once  upon  this  occupation  of  the  field  a 
great  and  blessed  work  began  to  grow  up  under  our  very 
eyes.  At  Malibay,  a few  miles  south  of  Manila,  Brother 
Zamora  began  to  preach  in  the  early  part  of  1900,  and 
by  midsummer  of  1901  there  had  been  compacted  there 
a total  of  members  and  probationers  such  as  exceeded 
the  total  visible  missionary  results  that  were  secured  in 
China  for  fifteen  years.  In  Malibay  there  was  a Roman 
Catholic  chapel,  built  by  the  pueblo  for  their  services. 
It  was  built  well.  It  bad  heavy  stone  walls  and  a corru- 
gated iron  roof,  and  though  it  had  been  badly  battered 
by  insurgents  and  United  States  troops,  it  was  still  a 
shelter,  and  in  a fair  condition  for  use.  No  friar  dared 
put  his  foot  in  the  place  for  fear  of  the  unmeasured  hatred 
of  the  people,  and  our  little  congregation  used  it  for  their 
services.  Practically  the  entire  population  came  into  the 
Church.  They  bought  Bibles  and  portions  of  the  New 
Testament  as  they  were  translated  and  printed,  and,  like 
the  Bereans,  daily  studied  the  Word  of  God.  When  I 
arrived  there  were  nearly  two  hundred  members.  By 
midsummer  it  was  three  hundred,  and  on  Christmas-dav, 
1901,  I received  more  than  three  hundred  from  probation 
into  full  connection  in  the  weather-beaten  old  chapel.  It 
was  a great  day  in  Zion.  After  receiving  eight  times 
over  as  many  people  as  could  stand  in  a double  row  in 
front  of  the  altar,  we  had  the  sacrament  of  the  Lord’s 
Supper.  It  was  the  first  time  many  of  these  poor  people 
had  ever  received  the  cup.  The  wafer  was  all  that  had 
ever  touched  their  tongues'.  There  was  perfect  rever- 
ence, and  deep  spiritual  interest.  Many  eyes  were  wet 


MISSION  HOMES,  MANILA. 


Methodist  Episcopal  Ciiurcii. 


445 


with  tears  of  holy  gladness.  One  old  man  who  had  been 
a captain  in  the  forces  of  the  insurgents  took  the  sacra- 
ment saying,  ‘‘1  am  unworthy,  I am  unworthy.”  His 
hands  shook  so  that  he  could  scarcely  hold  the  cup  when, 
for  the  first  time,  the  symbol  of  the  shed  blood  of  his 
Lord  touched  his  lips.  It  moved  me  to  tears.  Here 
were  over  four  hundred  partakers  of  the  Holy  Supper, 
nearly  all  of  whom  were  in  the  possession  of  as  clear  and 
definite  a knowledge  of  the  forgiveness  of  their  sins  and 
their  acceptance  in  Christ  as  any  whom  I had  ever  min- 
istered to  in  settled  pastorates  in  the  twenty  years  of  my 
ministry.  It  was  a great  day.  It  spoke  eloquently  of 
the  possibilities  of  the  work  all  over  the  Islands  when 
similarly  hungry  souls  in  other  places  heard  and  heeded 
and  were  saved  from  sin  by  coming  directly  to  a personal 
Christ  of  love  and  tenderness. 

That  church  at  Malibay  is  now  over  four  hundred 
strong,  and  has  never  cost  the  missionary  appropriations 
from  the  Board  one  cent.  It  carries  on  services  in  sev- 
eral barrios,  and  will  soon  have  another  Church  formed 
from  the  results  of  the  voluntary  labor  of  its  member- 
ship in  a neighboring  place. 

At  Malolos,  the  provincial  capital  of  Bulacan,  we 
prayed  and  waited  for  an  opening  for  several  months  be- 
fore it  came.  It  was  the  capital  of  the  Aguinaldo  gov- 
ernment. and  was  supposed  to  be  full  of  those  who  hated 
the  Americans,  and  who  would  therefore  discount  a 
gospel  preached  by  the  hated  race.  At  least  that  is  what 
the  military  authorities  led  us  to  believe.  Mr.  Goodell 
went  there  to  investigate  several  times.  When  he  in- 
quired, on  his  second  or  third  visit,  if  there  were  any 
“Protestantes”  in  the  place,  he  was  directed  to  the  house 
of  an  elderly  woman  who  had  the  name  of  being  inter- 
ested in  Protestantism,  Senora  Narcissa  welcomed  them 


446  The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 

“as  the  angels  of  God.”  Her  joy  knew  no  bounds.  Here 
were  the  men  for  whose  coming  she  had  prayed  so  de- 
voutly three  times  each  day,  as  she  afterward  told  me, 
from  the  time  she  had  heard  the  good  word  in  Manila 
until  the  day  that  Mr.  Goodell  knocked  at  her  door.  Im- 
mediately services  were  arranged  for.  This  was  in  May 
of  1902.  In  August  a membership  of  one  hundred  and 
eighty-five  had  been  gathered,  and,  with  $50  from  funds 
of  the  Church  Extension  Society,  they  had  found  it  pos- 
sible to  erect  one  of  the  neatest  of  all  our  bamboo  and 
thatch  chapels,  seating  one  hundred  and  fifty  people,  and 
very  neatly  arranged  within  and  without.  Aside  from 
the  fact  that  the  missionary  received  a salary  from  the 
society,  not  a dollar  of  the  annual  grant  from  New  York 
was  spent  in  founding  this  Church.  The  local  preachers 
and  exhorters  do  the  preaching  when  the  missionary  can 
not  be  there.  They  raise  by  collections  and  subscriptions 
all  funds  needed  to  seat,  clean,  and  light  the  place,  and 
are  entirely  independent  of  foreign  support  as  they  have 
been  from  the  first  day. 

Within  a few  days  of  the  opening  at  Malolos  another 
equally  good  opportunity  was  presented  in  Calumpit,  a 
town  a few  miles  away.  Soon  a Church  equally  numerous 
and  spiritual  was  raised  up  there,  and  a chapel  built. 
This  year  (1903)  this  latter  Church  has  “swarmed  ofif,” 
and  the  new  colony  has  built  a church  twice  as  large  as 
the  original  building.  A revival  was  enjoyed  all  along 
during  the  summer  in  the  regular  services,  and  now  the 
membership  at  that  point  is  above  two  hundred,  and  con- 
stantly growing.  Here  again  there  has  been  no  expense 
to  the  Missionary  Society  aside  from  the  fact  that  the 
missionary  who  led  in  the  work  is  supported  from  that 
fund. 

In  Manila,  Mr.  McLaughlin  has  seen  the  work  grow 


Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 


447 


from  about  two  hundred  when  lie  arrived,  to  more  than 
two  thousand,  and  from  one  chapel,  dedicated  in  August 
of  1900,  to  eleven  chapels  within  and  near  the  city,  all 
built  by  the  people  themselves,  and,  besides  this  local 
membership,  literal  scores  converted,  who  return  to  their 
homes  in  various  parts  of  the  provinces  and  form  centers 
of  interest  and  excellent  advertisers  of  our  work.  In 
nearly  all  the  cities  in  which  work  has  been  opened  in 
the  provinces  men  and  women  have  started  the  work 
whose  eyes  had  been  opened  of  the  Lord  in  the  services 
of  our  own  or  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  Manila. 
When  Bishop  Warren  visited  the  Philippines  in  October 
of  1903  a typical  Methodist  class-meeting  was  held  in 
the  Rizal  Theater,  Manila.  Admission  was  to  Method- 
ists only,  and  that  by  free  tickets.  This  was  done  in 
order  to  make  it  possible  to  show  the  bishop  to  the  hun- 
dreds of  our  people  who  wanted  to  see  him,  and  to  permit 
him  to  see  the  kind  of  work  and  the  measure  of  blessing 
that  had  attended  the  labors  of  the  missionaries  here  in 
this  insular  metropolis.  Over  eighteen  hundred  adults 
were  crowded  into  the  building,  and  the  meeting  was 
gotten  up  so  hurriedly  that  many  did  not  receive  notice 
in  time  to  secure  tickets.  It  was  a deeply  spiritual  meet- 
ing, and  proved  that  this  work  is  of  the  kind  that  Asbury 
and  Lee  saw  grow  up  under  their  preaching  and  admin- 
istration in  the  latter  part  of  the  eighteenth  century  in 
the  L'nited  States.  The  testimonies  rang  with  certainty. 
The  faces  of  men  and  women  shone  with  the  joy  that 
comes  only  from  the  consciousness  of  forgiven  sins. 

In  Malabon,  just  north  of  Manila,  the  owner  of  a 
large  cockpit,  by  the  name  of  Simeon  Bias,  became  in- 
terested two  years  ago.  He  is  a man  of  considerable 
wealth,  but  had  a reputation  as  a gambler.  He  invited 
our  missionaries  to  preach  in  his  part  of  the  town.  Later 


448  The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 


he  built  a chapel  at  his  own  expense,  and  gave  reverent 
attention  to  the  Word.  At  this  time  he  sold  his  cockpit, 
as  a matter  of  business  purely,  and  was  soon  afterwards 
received  into  the  Church  and  given  license  to  exhort.  The 


A PROTESTANT  GROUP  IN  BATAAN. 

(Mr.  Goodell,  myself,  native  preacher,  and  friends.  About  to  take 
boat  for  Manila  after  a long,  hard  trip  in  the  province. ) 

first  thing  Mr.  McLaughlin  knew,  this  man  had  bought 
another  cockpit,  and  was  putting  in  at  least  one-half  of 
his  Sundays  attending  to  it.  When  he  was  not  preach- 
ing the  gospel  in  Methodist  services  he  was  holding  the 
stakes  of  betters  on  the  fights  in  his  "all era  or  taking 
gate-money ! Some  of  our  people  counseled  severity. 


Methodist  Episcopal  Ciiurcii. 


449 


They  argued  that  his  influence  would  corrupt  the  infant 
Church.  We  saw  the  harm,  but  determined  to  save  the 
man  and  the  cause  as  well.  When  Mr.  Rader  and  wife 
came  from  Denver  in  May  of  1903,  they  were  sent  to 
Malabon  to  learn  the  language,  and  to  save  the  day. 
With  the  help  of  the  Lord  and  of  one  of  the  missionaries 
who  speaks  the  vernacular  fluently,  this  brother  has  re- 
nounced the  business,  gotten  completely  out  of  all  rela- 
tions with  gambling  and  Sabbath  desecration,  and  has 
been  preaching  with  power — real  spiritual  power  that 
moves  and  burns — ever  since  his  public  confession  and 
renunciation  of  the  business.  The  last  Quarterly  Con- 
ference recommended  Simeon  I Has  for  ordination  as  a 
local  deacon.  A happier  man  or  one  more  utterly  devoted 
to  the  work  of  preaching  Christ  was  never  seen  in  early 
Methodism  in  America.  In  that  circuit  of  Malabon  the 
gain  in  membership  this  year  has  been  nearly  five  hun- 
dred, and  three  chapels  have  been  built  and  paid  for  from 
local  resources. 

In  Panpanga,  Mr.  Fritz  saw  a glorious  work  begun. 
But  his  health  broke,  and  he  is  our  first  man  forced  from 
the  active  ranks  bv  illness.  This  was  partly  due  to  a 
malarial  inheritance,  from  five  years’  South  American 
residence.  At  last  Conference  Mr.  and  Mrs.  W.  A. 
Brown  were  given  charge  of  this  great  work.  Pam- 
panga  has  a population  of  nearly  three  hundred  thousand 
people.  In  the  two  cities  of  San  Fernando  and  Mexico 
we  now  have  nearly  one  thousand  members  and  proba- 
tioners. and  a wealth}-  family  who  owned  a large  and 
well-built  theater  have  given  their  hearts  to  the  Lord  and 
their  theater  to  the  Church ! One  of  them  is  an  exhorter, 
and  preaches  with  much  power  and  acceptance  every  Sun- 
day in  what  was  built  for  a Sunday  theater.  I have 
spoken  there  to  one  thousand  people.  The  Cunanan 
29 


450  The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 

Brothers,  as  they  are  known,  gave  Bishop  Warren  a 
twelve-course  dinner  when  he  was  on  his  official  visit, 
which  for  elegance  of  service  was  not  surpassed,  the 
bishop  averred,  by  a banquet  given  by  President  McKin- 
ley in  the  White  House.  I participated,  and  certainly  I 
never  saw  finer  appointments  in  decorations,  silver,  spot- 
less linen,  or  noiseless  service.  These  brothers  are  happy 
in  the  Lord.  When  they  recover  from  the  terrible  losses 
of  the  war  and  the  rinderpest,  they  will  be  in  a position 
to  help  our  work  substantially. 

As  an  indication  of  the  ripeness  of  that  field,  Brother 
Brown  opened  services  in  the  city  of  Guagua  recently, 
and  in  less  than  a month  he  has  more  than  two  hundred 
members  on  probation,  and  that  will  easily  be  doubled 
within  a few  weeks.  It  would  be  easy  to  receive  thou- 
sands ; but  when  tests  as  to  gambling,  drinking,  and 
other  evils  are  applied,  they  flinch,  and  draw  back.  But 
in  every  community  a remnant  push  on  and  are  saved. 

In  Eastern  Bulacan  Mr.  A.  E.  Chenoweth  and  wife 
have  a truly  wonderful  work.  Beginning  at  Baliuag,  a 
city  of  fifteen  thousand  people,  less  than  two  years  ago, 
they  now  have  over  six  hundred  members  and  proba- 
tioners, six  chapels,  and  work  in  all  directions  coming 
at  them  more  rapidly  than  they  can  care  for  it.  It  would 
take  a whole  chapter  to  tell  of  the  openings  just  now 
pressing  for  attention  in  that  field. 

Rev.  Ernest  S.  Lyons  and  wife  were  transferred  from 
Singapore  in  March  of  1903  and  appointed  to  Dagupan. 
He  has  now  eight  organized  Churches,  all  gathered  within 
seven  months,  with  a membership  of  over  eight  hundred. 
He  has  invitations  from  over  twenty  cities  in  which  he 
has  not  yet  been  able  to  open.  If  he  had  the  time  and 
strength  it  would  be  easily  possible  for  him  to  open  as 
many  more  Churches  with  as  many  converts  before  Con- 


Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 


45i 


ference  in  the  coming  March.  The  province  of  Panga- 
sinan  is  one  of  the  most  bigoted  of  any  that  we  have  yet 
entered,  and  this  is  the  more  reason  for  gratitude  that 
he  has  seen  the  pleasure  of  the  Lord  thus  prosper  in  his 
hands. 

Brother  Thomas  H.  Martin  gathered  several  hundred 
converts  in  Tarlac  province,  and  built  a chapel  at  Gerona. 
He  acquired  both  the  Spanish  and  Ilokano  languages, 
but  illness  caused  by  bad  food,  and  exposure  in  living 
constantly  among  the  Filipino  people  broke  his  health. 
He  is  now  in  Manila  working  at  the  creation  of  sorely 
needed  booklets  on  the  History  of  Protestantism,  Prayer, 
Aids  to  P<ible  Study,  and  works  of  a nature  calculated 
to  meet  our  most  urgent  needs  in  the  way  of  Christian 
literature. 

Rev.  F.  A.  McCarl  has  pushed  the  Mission  Press 
hard  as  his  part  of  the  work,  and  also  done  effective  work- 
in  as  much  of  the  Filipino  and  American  Churches  as  his 
time  and  strength  permitted.  He  is  the  treasurer  of  the 
mission  in  addition  to  his  other  work.  Time  and  space 
fail  to  tell  of  the  faithful  work  done  by  the  consecrated 
women.  God  only  knows  how  well  they  have  toiled  and 
how  rich  will  be  their  harvest. 

In  May  of  1903  Miss  Winifred  Spaulding  arrived 
from  Kansas  City,  Mo.,  and  opened  a training-school  for 
women  under  the  auspices  of  the  Woman’s  Foreign  Mis- 
sionary Society.  The  effort  has  been  crowned  with  suc- 
cess from  the  first  day.  Ten  young  women  are  enrolled. 
If  we  had  had  room,  instead  of  these  ten  there  would  be 
one  hundred  in  training!  The  cost  of  supporting  each 
is  not  more  than  $50  per  year  of  nine  school  months.  A 
deaconess  teacher  costs  $850  to  support — allowance, 
board,  carriage  hire,  and  other  expenses,  all  reckoned  in. 
It  is  my  deep  conviction  that  in  no  part  of  our  work  are 


452  The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 

we  more  fundamentally  affecting  the  lives  of  the  mem- 
bers of  to-day  and  to-morrow  than  in  raising  up  a body 
of  trained  women  to  work  for  Christ  in  their  local 
Churches,  and  in  such  special  lines  of  labor  as  the  Spirit 
will  throw  open  to  them.  I hope  to  see  the  day  when  this 
arm  of  the  service  turns  out  fifty  graduates  of  a stiff 
course  of  theoretical  and  practical  deaconess  training 
each  year.  Miss  Spaulding  has  for  an  aid  in  the  work 
Miss  Parkes,  an  English  lady  who  served  her  mission- 
ary apprenticeship  in  the  Philippines  as  a Bible  woman  in 
the  employ  of  the  British  and  Foreign  Bible  Society.  She 
visits  and  carries  on  the  house-to-house  spiritual  clinics 
so  necessary  for  the  girls  in  training.  God  has  given 
her  special  gifts  as  a winner  of  souls  in  personal  con- 
tact. She  was  sent  us  bv  a kind  Providence,  and  will 
exercise  a lasting  influence  for  good  upon  all  these  women 
whose  lives  are  touched  by  her  own. 

As  will  be  seen,  our  work  is  almost  wholly  evangel- 
istic. This  is  the  crying  need  of  the  hour.  The  press 
is  an  engine  of  great  power.  It  turned  out  nearly  4,000- 
000  pages  of  literature  in  1902,  and  is  doing  a good  work 
this  year  also.  It  is  expensive,  but  it  pays  big  spiritual 
dividends.  We  need  at  least  $1,200  annually  to  feed  it 
with  white  paper  and  ink,  and  to  meet  the  expense  of 
power  and  help.  That  must  be  given  by  friends  in  the 
States. 

The  feature  of  self-support  is  one  to  which  we  give 
the  closest  attention.  From  the  beginning  it  has  been 
on  the  minds  and  hearts  of  the  members  of  the  mission 
staff  to  profit  by  the  lessons  learned  in  other  and  older 
fields,  and  to  insist  upon  as  large  a measure  of  self-sup- 
port from  the  very  first  as  possible.  To  that  end  all  our 
native  workers  are  divided  into  two  classes — pastors  and 


Methodist  Episcopal  Ciiurch. 


453 


evangelists.  We  support  as  many  evangelists  as  the 
special  gifts  that  come  to  us  will  permit,  always  with  the 
understanding  that  such  support  is  temporary,  and  may 
fail  at  any  time.  These  men  are  kept  on  the  move  from 
point  to  point  opening  up  new  cities,  and  caring  for  the 
converts  made  at  places  not  quite  so  new  for  two  weeks 
or  a month  at  a time.  When  a Church  asks  for  a pastor, 
they  must  be  willing  to  unite  with  others  in  a circuit,  so 
that  his  support  may  come  wholly  from  them.  Against 
almost  inconceivable  pressure  coming  from  many  quar- 
ters, God  has  helped  us  to  keep  from  spending  one  penny 
of  the  regular  appropriations  from  New  York  for  the 
support,  traveling  expenses,  or  rent  of  any  native 
preacher,  or  for  the  erection  of  any  building  for  the  use 
of  the  native  people.  Special  gifts  have  been  used  in 
that  way  as  need  demanded.  Marriage  fees  from  the 
something  like  2,475  weddings  that  our  staff  has  con- 
ducted, nearly  all  in  Manila,  have  been  used  in  this  form 
of  work,  and  in  printing  as  need  arose ; but  self-support 
is  absolutely  the  rule  as  to  pastoral  service.  We  do  not 
claim  to  have  solved  the  question,  but  we  are  determined 
to  continue  the  attempt,  and  avoid,  if  possible,  mistakes 
that  cost  us  dearly  in  fields  in  which  our  workers  were 
forced  to  the  use  of  methods  which  we  do  not  need  to 
employ.  It  costs  from  $200  to  $300  annually  to  support 
a good  Filipino  evangelist.  We  shall  need  the  services 
of  these  men  for  many  years  to  come.  Their  lot  is  a 
hard  one.  They  live  on  the  circuit.  They  are  in  very 
truth  “traveling  preachers.”  But  their  work  breaks  new 
ground,  and  pioneers  the  way  for  Churches  which  spring 
up  in  their  tracks  wherever  they  go. 

Our  growth  has  been  phenomenal.  The  statistics 
which  will  appear  in  the  Missionary  Report  for  1903-4 
are  as  follows : 


454 


The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 


Foreign  missionaries 

Assistant  missionaries 

Woman’s  Foreign  Missionary  Society,  missionaries. 

Native  ordained  preachers 

Native  unordained  preachers 

Other  helpers . 

Members  . 

Probationers 

Adherents . 

Average  attendance  on  Sunday 

Conversions  during  year 

Adults  baptized.  

Children  baptized  . 

Number  day  schools  

Number  day  scholars 

Collected  for  church  building  and  repairing  . .. 

Number  Sabbath-schools  . 

Number  Sabbath  school  scholars . 

Number  churches  and  chapels 

Estimated  value  of  churches  and  chapels 

Number  halls  and  other  rented  places  of  worship  ... 

Value  of  parsonages  or  homes 

Collected  for  missionary  society 

Collected  for  other  benevolent  societies 

Collected  for  self-support 

Collected  for  other  local  purposes 


*9 

7 


3 

67 

3° 

3-091 

3.751 

4. 1 So 

6,540 

2.663 

1.094 

3°2 

2 

28 

$2,823 

15 

797 

35 

..  $24,410 
7 

$21,000 

$210 

$86 

. ...  $3,220 

$1,477 


This  gives  11s  6,842  members  and  probationers,  with 
4,180  adherents,  all  of  whom  consider  themselves  as  fully 
admitted  to  our  membership.  Comparing  this  total  of 
members  and  probationers  with  the  totals  of  last  year 
in  other  mission  fields  solely  for  the  purpose  of  empha- 
sizing the  ripeness  of  this  field,  and  showing  how  urgent 
is  the  need  that  wise  counsels  shall  prevail  in  conserving 
and  extending  the  w ork  to  the  utmost  possible  extent  we 
find  the  following : 


Member  > 
and 
Proba- 
tioner s 

Year. 

W01  k 
Begu  n 

6.842 

IQO  5 

1900 

Japan 

6,sm 

1902 

■873 

Korea 

5.855 

1902 

1.885 

Mexico  

5.592 

1902 

1873 

All  South  America . 

5.863 

1902 

1S36 

3632 

1902 

'833 

3One  missionary,  Rev.  R.  V.  B.  Dunlap,  with  his  wife  ami 
child,  have  arrived  since  these  statistics  were  sent  forward. 


Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 


455 


Truly  the  Spirit  has  flung  open  a wide  door  of  op- 
portunity before  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  the 
Philippine  Islands.  We  should  have  at  once  twenty-five 
of  the  best  men  the  Church  contains  to  man  centers  of 
importance,  and  to  put  on  sound  foundations  a training- 
school  for  native  ministers  and  a college  for  our  own 
young  people.  We  must  plan  according  to  the  magni- 
tude of  our  opportunity,  or  be  guilty  of  treason  to  the 
purposes  of  God. 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 


Presbyterians  and  Baptists. 

No  one  of  the  six  Churches  now  at  work  in  the  Phil- 
ippines showed  greater  foresight  than  the  Presbyterian. 
In  the  promptness  and  wisdom  of  its  action  it  set  an  ex- 
ample to  all  the  Boards.  Rev.  James  B.  Rodgers  was 
transferred  from  their  work  in  Brazil  after  years  of  suc- 
cessful experience,  and  was  enabled  to  enter  upon  his 
work  with  the  Spanish  language  at  his  command,  and 
with  a thorough  familiarity  with  the  difficulties  and 
weaknesses  of  work  in  Catholic  countries.  He  arrived 
in  Manila,  April  21,  1899,  with  Mrs.  Rodgers  and  their 
family.  It  is  interesting  to  note  the  coincidence  of  his 
arrival  with  the  first  anniversary  of  the  declaration  of 
war  against  Spain.  While  Bishop  Thoburn,  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  was  the  first  regularly-au- 
thorized appointee  of  a Missionary  Society  to  visit  the 
Islands  and  open  work,  the  unique  honor  of  being  the 
first  regularly-appointed,  permanent  missionary  belongs 
to  Mr.  Rodgers.  Within  one  month  these  workers  were 
joined  by  Rev.  David  S.  Hibbard  and  wife.  At  the  end 
of  their  first  year  they  reported  one  Church  organized, 
and  services  held  semi-weekly  in  four  places  in  Manila, 
with  English-speaking  services  among  soldiers  and  such 
others  as  cared  to  attend. 

The  Board  had  already  decided  that  Iloilo  would  be 
one  of  the  cities  occupied,  and  Dumaguete,  on  the  island 
of  Negros,  was  chosen  as  another  point  in  the  southern 

456 


Presbyterians  and  Baptists. 


457 


islands  during  the  summer  of  1899.  In  December  the 
Philippine  Mission  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  was  for- 
mally constituted.  In  January,  Dr.  J.  Andrew  Hall  ar- 
rived to  take  up  medical  and  evangelistic  work  in  Iloilo. 
Rev.  Leonard  P.  Davidson  came  in  February  to  give  him- 
self to  evangelistic  work. 

By  the  tentative  allotment  of  “spheres  of  influence” 
to  the  several  missions  which  was  one  part  of  the  ex- 
cellent work  of  the  Evangelical  Union,  the  Presbyterians 
were  given  a free  hand  with  all  other  missions  in  Manila, 
and  ali  Southern  Luzon,  with  the  work  in  Xegros  and 
Panay  divided  between  them  and  the  Baptists,  as  those 
two  missions  might  agree.  This  gave  the  Presbyterians 
a compact  territory  in  Luzon  with  but  two  languages, 
and  one  of  those — the  Bicol — spoken  by  but  a small  frac- 
tion of  the  whole  population  in  their  Luzon  field.  It 
also  gave  them  portions  of  the  fertile  islands  of  Xegros 
and  Panay,  with  centers  at  the  two  largest  cities  in  each 
island.  By  later  action  Cebu  was  added,  and  work  in 
the  entire  Yisayan  group  was  tentatively  assigned  to  the 
Baptists  and  Presbyterians.  This  gave  them  a popula- 
tion in  Cebu  alone  of  six  hundred  and  fifty  thousand,  all 
homogeneous  people,  speaking  one  dialect  of  Yisayan, 
and  in  Leyte  and  Samar  which  they  have  occupied  since, 
an  added  population  of  about  two  hundred  and  fifty 
thousand,  whose  dialect  is  sufficiently  like  that  prevailing 
in  Cebu  to  enable  the  workers  from  the  former  island  to 
be  fairly  well  understood  from  the  first  in  the  latter  large 
islands. 

The  fighting  line  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  is  thus 
flung  out  over  four  hundred  miles  in  length,  and  holds 
positions  on  eight  islands.  Its  work  is  in  three  main  lan- 
guages, though  the  Yisayan  of  Panay  and  Occidental 
Xegros  differs  almost  as  sharply  from  the  Yisayan  of 


458  The  Philippines  and  the  Par  East. 


Cebu  and  Leyte  as  Pampanga  differs  from  Tagalog,  or 
Italian  differs  from  French. 

No  one  person  did  so  much  to  bring  about  the  organ- 
ization of  the  Evangelical  Union  as  Mr.  Rodgers.  He 
was  ready  to  make  any  reasonable  sacrifice  of  the  inter- 
ests of  their  mission  in  order  to  secure  greater  unity  of 
action,  and  thus  diminish  the  friction  and  overlapping 
which  he  had  seen  and  regretted  in  his  work  in  South 
America.  He  was  ready  to  go  so  far  as  to  unite  with 
other  Churches  in  some  loose  federation  in  which  de- 
nominational names  would  drop  out  of  sight,  and  what 
would  amount  to  a new  organization  would  be  perfected. 
Many  felt  that  missionaries  on  the  field  had  no  power  to 
do  this,  if  it  were  desirable.  His  efforts,  with  those  of 
Mr.  McLaughlin,  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
bore  fruit  in  the  formation  of  the  Union. 

The  Presbyterian  Church  carries  on  evangelistic,  med- 
ical, and  educational  work.  In  the  nature  of  the  case  its 
chief  energies  are  devoted  to  the  evangelistic,  as  that  is 
the  chief  opportunity  confronting  all  the  missions.  In 
Manila  several  congregations  have  been  gathered,  and  one 
fine  church  building  has  been  erected.  This  is  on  an 
American  model,  and  seats  about  seven  hundred  people. 
They  have  a membership  of  more  than  two  hundred.  A 
rented  building  in  another  part  of  the  city  is  the  center  for 
more  work  of  an  evangelistic  character.  In  Cavite,  just 
across  the  bay  from  Manila,  there  is  a strong  Church, 
and  beginnings  have  been  made  at  other  places  in  Cavite 
province  and  the  province  of  Laguna  de  Bay. 

In  Iloilo  a good  evangelistic  beginning  has  been  made, 
and  such  work  being  done  as  the  force  will  permit.  In 
Cebu  much  opposition  has  been  met.  It  is  a very  bigoted 
island.  Friar  influence  is  stronger  than  in  any  other  part 


Presbyterians  and  Baptists. 


459 


of  the  Philippines.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jansen  opened  work 
there  in  1892.  They  were  able  to  make  but  slight  headway 
for  six  months.  Meetings  were  stoned.  Converts  were 
terrorized.  Threats  were  freely  made  that  the  lives  of  the 
missionaries  would  be  taken,  and  that  of  their  converts. 
No  hall  could  be  rented.  The  missionary  could  scarcely 
find  a house  to  live  in.  But  finally  the  ice  began  to  break 
up,  and  a freshet  of  blessing  has  followed.  Converts  are 
now  coming  into  the  Church  in  the  city  of  Cebu  almost 
every  week,  and  calls  for  Protestant  services  reach  the 
workers  from  interior  cities  and  from  those  on  the  oppo- 
site coast.  Cebu  is  the  head  of  one  of  the  Catholic  sees, 
and  the  American  bishop  there  will  do  all  in  his  power  to 
stem  the  tide  of  Protestant  sympathy. 

In  the  latter  part  of  1903  work  was  opened  in  the  island 
of  Leyte,  and  from  the  apparent  ripeness  of  the  field  and 
the  results  already  attained,  there  is  reason  to  hope  for 
a rapid  spread  of  the  work.  This  will  also  command  the 
island  of  Samar,  which  lies  across  a narrow  strait,  and  can 
be  reached  with  the  same  Yisayan  dialect. 

The  mission  has  inaugurated  medical  work  at  Iloilo 
and  Dumaguete.  Dr.  J.  Andrew  Hall  finds  much  of  his 
time  occupied  at  the  former  place  in  ministering  to  the 
bodies  of  the  hundreds  who  seek  his  aid.  He  finds  the 
medical  work  leads  to  the  evangelistic,  even  though  Cath- 
olic opponents  insist  that  he  gives  poisons  for  medicines, 
and  one  poor  patient  was  stopped  while  carrying  home 
medicine  for  a wife  burning  with  malarial  fever,  and  com- 
pelled to  drink  the  entire  prescription.  His  superstitious 
persecutors  insisted  that  he  was  securing  the  medicine  to 
poison  the  wells.  Dr.  Langheim,  at  Dumaguete.  has  done 
royal  service  as  president  of  the  Provincial  Board  of 
Health  in  staying  the  ravages  of  cholera  and  smallpox, 


460  The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 

and  his  work  has  challenged  the  attention  and  secured 
the  friendship  of  all  the  influential  Filipinos  of  Oriental 

Negros. 

People  come  miles  to  hear  the  gospel  and  receive  treat- 
ment. Dr.  Arthur  J.  Brown,  in  his  recent  book,  “The  New 
Era  in  the  Philippines,”  says : 

“One  of  the  most  notable  sights  of  the  Philippines 
is  to  be  seen  fn  Iloilo  Saturday  evenings.  My  room,  on 
the  second  story  of  Dr.  Hall's  house,  opened  into  a wide 
Spanish  hall,  with  a broad  flight  of  stairs  to  the  story 
below.  About  five  o'clock  I was  startled  to  find  the  hall, 
landing,  and  stairs  packed  with  Filipinos,  sitting  quietly 
on  the  floor  and  steps.  They  had  walked  in,  men,  women, 
and  children,  from  the  outlying  villages,  some  of  them 
four  hours’  distant,  in  order  to  attend  the  Sunday  serv- 
ice. So  many  regularly  do  this,  coming  Saturday  and 
remaining  till  Monday,  that  the  missionaries  have  been 
obliged  to  rent  a large  room  in  which  the  men  can  spend 
the  nights,  the  women  occupying  the  chapel.  The  people 
are  quiet  and  well-behaved.  They  bring  their  own  food, 
or  buy  it  in  Iloilo,  and  they  contentedly  sleep  on  the  floor. 

“I  wish  that  those  critics  who  insist  that  the  Filipinos 
are  all  Roman  Catholics,  and  that  they  do  not  want  Prot- 
estantism, but  only  relief  from  the  friars,  could  look  into 
that  great  room  in  Iloilo  any  Saturday  night,  and  see 
that  dense  throng  of  people  who  have  patiently  trudged 
past  stately  Roman  Catholic  Churches  to  a plain  chapel, 
where  there  are  no  altar  lights,  or  gorgeous  vestments,  or 
fragrant  incense,  but  only  the  preaching  of  the  Gospel 
of  Divine  Love.  When  men  and  women  would  rather 
walk  fifteen  miles  under  a hot  sun,  and  sleep  two  nights 
on  a board  floor  to  attend  a Protestant  service,  than  go 
to  a pompous  stone  church  in  their  own  village,  there  is 
certainly  something  more  than  curiosity  in  their  hearts." 

In  Dumaguete  the  work  is  largely  educational.  Early 
in  the  history  of  the  mission.  Dr.  Horace  B.  Silliman,  of 
New  York,  gave  $10,000  for  the  establishment  of  an  insti- 


Presbyterians  and  Baptists. 


461 


tution  similar  to  that  at  Tuskegee,  Alabama.  Emphasis 
was  to  be  laid  on  agricultural  and  manual-training.  A 
roomy  building  was  erected,  and  the  institution  opened 
its  doors.  Success  in  securing  pupils  and  in  carrying  for- 
ward the  work  of  an  ordinary  school  has  been  the  lot  of 
this  institution  from  the  first  day.  But  to  secure  pupils 
who  were  willing  to  learn  to  work  in  the  dirt,  or  push  the 
plane  or  wield  the  hammer,  has  been  difficult.  Whether 
such  pupils  will  be  found  in  sufficient  numbers  to  make  the 
institution  fully  answer  the  ends  for  which  Dr.  Silliman 
gave  the  money,  is  not  yet  apparent.  Filipinos  of  the 
better  classes  have  a truly  Spanish  idea  of  the  menial 
character  of  manual  labor.  In  fact,  it  is  more  Moorish 
than  Spanish,  and,  like  so  many  features  of  Spanish  archi- 
tecture, language,  and  national  spirit,  is  Spanish  because 
of  the  long  contact  of  the  Spaniard  with  the  Moor.  Dr. 
Silliman  was  right  in  his  estimate  of  the  need  of  the  Fili- 
pino people.  They  need  to  be  taught  the  true  dignity  of 
all  honest  toil ; but  the  tuition  is  not  welcome,  and  the  in- 
stitution will  have  much  difficulty  in  securing  pupils  to 
take  such  courses  as  contemplate  a life  of  toil.  The  school 
will  exert  a good  influence  as  a school,  and  is  worth  main- 
taining even  if  its  manual-training  features  do  not  succeed 
at  once.  The  difficulty  with  its  maintenance,  as  that  diffi- 
culty is  felt  by  the  mission,  is  that  it  absorbs  the  time  and 
energies  of  so  large  a proportion  of  the  staff,  while  urgent 
calls  for  evangelistic  work  come  from  all  parts  of  the  sur- 
rounding country. 

Rev.  Leonard  P.  Davidson  died  of  appendicitis  in  Au- 
gust of  1901,  after  a brief  illness.  He  w'as  the  first  of  the 
missionary  staff  of  any  Church,  and  so  far  the  only  one, 
to  lav  down  his  life  in  the  work.  He  was  one  of  the  most 
devoted  men  I ever  knew.  His  love  for  the  Filipino  people 
•was  deep  and  constant.  His  was  a rare  nature,  and  his 


462  The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 

death  was  a severe  blow  to  the  mission  of  which  he  was  a 
member. 

The  present  staff  of  the  Presbyterian  Mission  is,  Revs. 
James  B.  Rodgers,  J.  Andrew  Hall,  Walter  O.  McIntyre, 
H.  W.  Langheim,  J.  E.  Snook,  Lewis  B.  Hillis,  A.  A. 
Peters,  Paul  Doltz,  F.  J.  Pursell,  George  W.  Wright, 
Charles  E.  Rath,  Roy  H.  Brown,  Fred  Jansen,  and  Dr. 
Stealy  B.  Rossiter.  Mr.  Hillis  is  serving  as  pastor  of  the 
English-speaking  Church  in  Manila,  and  will  probably 
work  with  Dr.  Rossiter  when  the  latter  arrives  to  assume 
that  pastorate.  The  total  membership  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church  is  about  one  thousand. 

The  first  Baptist  missionary  was  Rev.  Eric  Lund.  He 
arrived  at  Jaro,  on  the  island  of  Panay,  with  Mr.  Braulio 
Manikin,  a native  Filipino,  who  had  been  educated  for  the 
priesthood  at  the  Roman  Catholic  school  at  that  place,  on 
May  2,  1900.  Mr.  Lund  came  from  Spain  to  the  Philip- 
pines. Mr.  Manikin  had  worked  with  him  in  Spain,  and 
together  they  had  made  considerable  progress  in  trans- 
lating the  New  Testament  and  preparing  tract  literature 
in  the  Visayan  language.  Five  tracts  of  editions  of  five 
thousand  each  were  soon  run  off  from  a small  handpress 
which  they  set  up  in  Jaro,  and  when  they  were  distributed 
produced  a deep  impression.  A small  newspaper,  called 
the  Herald  of  Truth,  was  soon  put  out,  and  met  with  a 
hearty  welcome.  Mr.  Lund  was  soon  joined  by  Rev. 
C.  W.  Briggs,  and  since  that  time  their  evangelistic  work 
has  gone  forward  with  great  rapidity. 

Their  field  was  deliberately  chosen,  and  is  adhered  to 
without  thought  of  spreading  to  other  islands.  They  work 
in  the  Visayan  language  only,  and  in  the  two  islands  of 
Panay  and  Negros.  The  chief  cities  occupied  so  far  are 
Jaro,  Capiz,  and  Bacolod,  the  capital  of  Occidental  (West- 
ern) Negros.  Practically  a million  people  are  within  their 


Presbyterians  and  Baptists. 


463 


field,  and  with  their  somewhat  limited  staff  they  feel  that 
this  number  is  all  that  they  dare  undertake  to  evangelize. 
The  latest  statistics  of  this  Church  are  as  follows:  Central 
Stations,  3;  Out  Stations,  13;  Members,  564;  Dispensary, 
1,  Missionaries  (counting  wives  and  single  ladies),  14; 
Churches  organized,  5;  Medical  Mission  Station,  1. 

The  staff  of  the  Baptist  Mission  is  Rev.  C.  W.  Briggs, 
Rev.  George  E.  Finlay,  Dr.  Peter  Lerrigo,  Rev.  J.  C. 
Robbins,  and  Rev.  A.  A.  Forsbe. 


MANILA.  BOTANICAL  GARDENS. 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 


Episcopalian  and  Other  Churches. 

The  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  has  occupied  the 
Philippine  Islands  in  strength.  The  work  of  this  Church 
began  through  the  efforts  of  army  chaplains  who  were 
Episcopalians.  Chaplains  Charles  C.  Pierce,  David  I,. 
Fleming,  Walter  Marvine,  and  Henry  Swift,  in  the  early 
days  of  1898  and  1899,  and  Chaplain  Walkely  at  a later 
stage,  did  all  in  their  power  to  establish  the  Episcopal 
Church  among  both  Filipinos  and  Americans.  Chaplains 
Pierce  and  Walkely  served  as  regular  pastors  in  Manila 
while  on  duty  with  their  regiments,  and  performed  as 
much  labor  in  the  pulpit  and  in  pastoral  visitation  as  the 
average  pastor  of  any  Church  finds  time  to  do. 

However,  it  is  scarcely  correct  to  say  that  the  history 
of  a Church  in  the  Philippines  can  be  dated  from  the  gra- 
tuitous services  of  men  who  were  not  sent  to  do  that  spe- 
cific work,  but  who  were  sent  and  supported  to  do  another 
and  a wholly  unsectarian  work.  It  is  only  right  and  fair 
in  summing  up  the  beginnings  of  Church  life  in  the  Archi- 
pelago to  date  the  formal  inauguration  of  the  several 
Churches  from  the  arrival  of  regularly  accredited  agents 
of  the  various  Mission  Boards  of  such  Churches.  This 
does  not  minify  in  any  degree  the  excellent  work  of  armv 
chaplains.  But  it  does  make  clear  the  definite  beginnings 
of  those  Church  activities  which  were  avowedly  directed 
and  supported  by  the  home  organization.  In  fact,  it  may 
as  well  be  said  that  it  will  always  be  a question  how  far 

464 


Episcopalian  and  Other  Churches.  465 

the  avowed  denominational  activities  of  army  chaplains 
can  be  allowed  to  go  in  strict  justice  while  they  are  sup- 
ported from  public  funds,  and  have  assigned  to  them  tasks, 
which,  if  properly  done,  will  not  leave  time  for  assuming 
pastorates  of  Churches  and  directing  the  formation  of 
Church  policies  in  such  fields  as  the  army  may  occupy. 

Rev.  James  L.  Smiley  was  sent  to  the  Philippines  by 
the  Brotherhood  of  St.  Andrew  in  1899,  and  afterward 
accepted  appointment  as  the  first  representative  of  the 
Domestic  and  Foreign  Missionary  Society  of  the  Epis- 
copal Church.  Ill-health  subsequently  demanded  his  re- 
turn to  the  United  States.  In  November,  1901,  Rev. 
W alter  C.  Clapp  and  Rev.  John  A.  Staunton,  Jr.,  arrived 
in  Manila,  and  took  charge  of  the  work  of  the  Church  on 
behalf  of  the  Board  of  Missions.  On  October  5,  1901, 
the  General  Convention  of  the  Church,  sitting  in  San  Fran- 
cisco, erected  the  Philippine  Islands  into  a Missionary 
District  (contradistinguished  from  a Diocese),  and  on  the 
14th  of  the  same  month  elected  the  Rev.  Charles  Henry 
Brent,  D.  D.,  rector  of  the  St.  Stephen’s  Church,  Boston, 
as  the  first  bishop.  Dr.  Brent  was  consecrated  in  Em- 
manuel Church.  Boston,  December  19,  1901,  and  until  the 
middle  of  the  following  May  devoted  himself  to  the  task 
of  securing  funds,  in  addition  to  the  appropriations  from 
the  Board  of  Managers,  for  the  prosecution  of  the  work 
committed  to  him.  He  succeeded  in  raising  about 
$150,000.  One  gift  of  $100,000  was  for  a cathedral  to  be 
erected  in  Manila.  Another,  for  $25,000,  was  for  a parish 
house.  The  bishop  arrived  in  Manila  August  24,  1902. 
Within  the  next  few  weeks  he  was  joined  by  the  Rev. 
Irving  Spencer  and  wife,  Miss  Harriet  B.  Osgood,  kinder- 
gartner.  and  Miss  Margaret  P.  Waterman,  parish  visitor. 
Other  additions  to  the  staff  to  date  include  Miss  Beatrice 
Oakes,  Miss  Clara  Thacher,  and  Miss  Jane  S.  Jackson, 
30 


466  The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 

missionary  nurses;  Miss  Emily  M.  Elwvn,  deaconess;  Dr. 
C.  Radcliffe  Johnson,  missionary-physician,  and  wife; 
Rev.  Mercer  G.  Johnston  and  wife;  and  Mr.  Hobart  E. 
Studley  and  Mr.  Santos  Javier. 

In  Manila,  work  is  going  forward  in  four  distinct 
directions.  First  and  foremost  is  that  among  the  Amer- 
ican and  English  community.  St.  Stephen’s  Church,  now 
worshiping  in  a temporary  chapel  in  Ermita,  is  served  by 
Rev.  Mercer  G.  Johnston  as  rector.  A parish  house  is 
soon  to  be  built  at  a cost  of  $25,000,  for  which  the  money 
is  in  hand.  The  plans  for  the  parish  house  include  a 
gymnasium,  a billiard-room,  a library,  and  an  assembly- 
room,  and  is. to  be  furnished  bv  the  students  of  Harvard, 
Yale,  Columbia,  and  Pennsylvania  Universities.  It  is  in- 
tended to  serve  as  a respectable  rendezvous  for  the  young 
men  of  the  city,  and  a valuable  adjunct  to  the  pastoral 
work  of  the  cathedral.  This  is  to  be  called  the  Cathedral 
of  St.  Mary  and  St.  John. 

Next  is  the  Settlement  Work,  two  miles  away  from  the 
proposed  location  for  the  cathedral,  and  among  the  Fili- 
pino population.  This  work  is  carried  forward  on  lines 
similar  to  those  followed  in  such  work  in  London  or  Bos- 
ton. A kindergartner  and  a parish  visitor  give  their 
entire  time  to  the  work  which  their  designation  suggests. 
Besides  this,  there  are  classes  in  sewing  and  writing,  and 
clubs  for  boys  and  girls.  There  are  no  religious  services 
for  Filipinos  held  in  the  Settlement  House.  Bishop  Brent 
has  not  yet  seen  his  way  to  beginning  definite  religious 
work  in  that  part  of  the  city. 

Next  comes  the  medical  work  carried  forward  by  Dr. 
Johnson.  This  is  maintained  in  connection  with  the  Settle- 
ment House.  Dispensary  patients  average  one  hundred 
and  fifty  per  week.  The  response  of  the  Filipino  to  Amer- 
ican medical  treatment,  even  when  wholly  free,  is  not  im- 


Episcopalian  and  Other  Churches. 


467 


mediate  in  Manila,  whatever  it  may  be  in  other  places  less 
plentifully  supplied  with  native  medicos  and  practicantes. 
A number  of  American  physicians  practicing  in  the  city 
give  their  time  several  hours  each  week  to  make  this  med- 
ical work  a success. 

Chinese  work  has  been  begun  also.  Rev.  Hobart  E. 
Studlev,  a regular  missionary  of  the  Reformed  Church  in 
Amoy  for  six  years,  has  opened  services  for  Chinese.  He 
is  to  be  ordained  (or  reordained)  at  a later  date. 

Outside  of  Manila  the  Church  has  undertaken  work  in 
Iloilo,  where  Rev.  Irving  Spencer  ministers  to  the  Amer- 
ican population,  occasionally  visiting  Zamboanga,  in  Min- 
danao, and  holding  a service  among  civilian  Americans 
resident  there. 

In  Baguio,  the  newly  chosen  summer  capital  of  the 
Philippines,  “in  the  pine  belt,"  Rev.  John  A.  Staunton,  Jr., 
serves  as  rector,  and  ministers,  “by  request,”  to  Catholic 
Filipinos  at  Trinidad,  a few  miles  away,  from  time  to 
time.  It  is  hoped  that  when  the  American  summer  popu- 
lation in  Baguio  reaches  into  the  hundreds  that  this  Church 
will  exert  a strong  influence.  Baguio  is  to  be  the  recuper- 
ating station  for  the  Episcopalians  as  well  as  for  other 
missions. 

Farther  north  in  Luzon,  Rev.  Walter  C.  Clapp,  assisted 
by  a trained  nurse  and  deaconess,  are  at  work  among  the 
Igorrotes  in  the  mountain  regions  of  Lepanto,  Bontoc. 
Another  clergyman  and  a medical  man  are  to  be  sent  there 
soon  to  strengthen  the  force.  Mr.  Clapp  also  ministers  to 
a Catholic  community  which  has  been  deserted  by  its 
priest. 

Bishop  Brent  finds  himself  unable  to  take  the  view  of 
other  Protestant  missionaries  as  to  directly  attempting  to 
influence  the  thought  of  the  Catholics  in  the  Philip- 
pines. He  does  not  commit  himself  as  yet  to  the  statement 


468  The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 


that  he  will  not  open  work  among  the  so-called  Christian- 
ized Filipinos ; but  lip  to  this  time  he  has  not  seen  his  way 
to  do  so.  I quote  from  his  First  Annual  Report  to  the 
Presiding  Bishop  enough  to  show  his  point  of  view,  only 
stating  that  Bishop  Brent  and  all  his  staff,  so  far  as  I am 
informed,  take  the  position  of  High  Churchmen,  with  all 
that  this  implies.  With  the  sacerdotal  theory  of  Church 
and  ministry  which  this  involves,  his  position  is  more 
.easily  understood. 

The  bishop  says  as  to  the  general  policy  of  the  mis- 
sion : 

“From  every  point  of  view,  the  most  important  sec- 
tion of  our  work  at  present,  and  it  will  be  for  some  time 
to  come,  is  among  Americans  and  other  English-speaking 
people.  . . . The  question  of  native  work  is  an  ex- 

tremely difficult  and  perplexing  one.  I can  not  feel  it  to 
be  the  duty  of  the  Church  which  I represent  to  build  up 
a constituency  by  deliberately  drawing  upon  the  Roman 
Church.  It  is  here  that  I find  myself  differing  from  the 
Protestant  Churches  at  work  in  the  Islands,  and  for  this 
reason,  if  for  no  other,  I am  unable  to  enter  into  any 
formal  relationship  with  them.  The  Evangelical  Union 
have  extended  us  a cordial  invitation  to  membership  in 
their  body,  but  we  are  unanimous  in  feeling  that  we  can 
not  subscribe  to  some  of  the  principles  implied  or  set 
forth  explicitly.  This,  however,  will  in  no  wise  prevent 
friendly  relations  with  our  Protestant  neighbors,  or  the 
observance  of  Christian  considerateness  where  a division 
of  territory  is  concerned.  Though  I can  not  say  that  I 
shall  never  place  missionaries  at  points  where  mission- 
aries of  other  communions  have  preceded,  I shall  do  so 
only  in  cases  where  my  conception  of  duty  leaves  me  no 
choice.  . . . The  greatest  satisfaction  I could  have 
would  be  to  see  the  Roman  Church  purify  her  skirts. 
But  when  there  has  been  and  is  such  an  absence  of  verac- 
ity, such  a suppression  or  denial  of  facts — facts  which, 
until  I came  out  here,  I could  not  believe,  but  which  are 
painfully  and  palpably  true — how  can  there  be  any  deep 


MOUNTAIN  WATERFALL. 


469 


Episcopalian  and  Other  Churches.  471 

reformation?  In  the  coast  regions  the  people  are  almost 
solidly  Roman  Catholic,  in  name  at  least.  1 except  the 
country  of  the  Moros,  of  course.  Among  the  better  edu- 
cated there  is  more  or  less  breaking  away  from  the  old 
faith,  shown  rather  bv  indifference  than  by  active  opposi- 
tion, though  there  is  not  a little  of  the  latter  in  some 
quarters.  While  the  Churches  in  most  places  are  well 
attended,  here  as  elsewhere  largely  by  women,  there  is 
a vast  population  whose  Christianity  is  so  purely  nominal 
that  it  would  offer  no  indignity  to  the  Roman  Church 
were  an  earnest  effort  made  to  win  them  to  religion. 
How  to  reach  them  is  a problem  yet  to  be  solved.” 

Bishop  Brent  and  his  clergy  still  hope  for  the  refor- 
mation of  the  Catholic  Church  from  within.  Their  opinion 
is  entitled  to  respectful  consideration ; but  the  martyr  roll 
of  Catholicism  is  so  long,  and  her  dungeons  and  scaffolds 
are  so  eloquent,  that  one  can  not  but  wonder  that  any  one 
conversant  with  her  history  should  venture  so  daring  a 
hope  as  that  her  faults  of  doctrine  and  life  would  be  purged 
except  as  outside  pressure  compels  such  purging.  The 
Churches  in  the  Evangelical  Union  are  a unit  in  believing 
that  the  Catholic  Church  in  the  Philippines  will  never  lead 
the  Filipino  people  out  of  sin  into  lives  of  righteousness. 

The  effort  to  reach  the  Igorrotes  and  other  uncivilized 
tribes  in  the  interior  is  thus  set  forth  by  the  bishop  in  the 
same  report : 

“When  we  turn  from  the  coast  to  the  interior  of  Luzon 
a new  situation  greets  us.  In  the  northern  and  eastern 
sections  there  are  multitudes  of  non-Christians,  variously 
denominated  as  Alzados,  Igorrotes,  and  Calingas.  No 
work  of  any  sort  is  being  attempted  among  them.  For- 
merly the  friars  had  a few  missions  in  the  interior  prov- 
inces of  Lepanto  and  Bontoc,  but  they  reached  only  the 
Ilokanos,  who  were  in  the  employ  of  the  Spanish  gov- 
ernment, and  accompanied  officials  to  their  various  sta- 
tions. The  great  heathen  population  was  almost  un- 
touched. For  several  years  past  there  have  been  no  min- 


472  The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 

istrations  whatever,  even  where  considerable  communi- 
ties of  Christians  are  established;  as,  e.  g.,  in  the  Ilokano 
town  of  Cervantes,  though  a request  for  a priest  has 
earnestly  been  made.  This  condition  of  affairs  is  due 
partly  to  the  insufficient  supply  of  native  priests,  and  to 
the  fact  that  the  friars  dare  not  return  thither,  and  partly 
because  they  are  poor  communities,  where  the  tempo- 
ralities of  the  Church  are  of  small  value  and  temporal  ad- 
vantage wholly  wanting.  A fair  field  is  offered  for  the 
work  of  our  Church  among  these  unshepherded  Chris- 
tians and  the  non-Christian  tribes  among  whom  their  lot 
is  cast.  But  with  our  inadequate  force  of  clergy  we  can 
accomplish  but  little.  The  tribes  of  the  highlands  are 
numerous  (the  Negritos  excepted),  domestic,  industrious, 
and  naturally  religious ; they  are  primitive  people  of  con- 
siderable promise,  the  superiors  of  their  lowland  neigh- 
bors in  physique  and  energy,  and  seemingly  their  peers 
in  intelligence.” 

The  Christlike  work  of  lifting  up  the  ignorant  and 
barbarous  races  of  the  interior  of  Luzon  is  one  that  will  be 
watched  with  the  kindliest  interest  and  most  earnest  prayer 
by  those  missions  which  have  felt  bound  to  do  all  in  their 
power  immediately  to  influence  that  mass  of  the  real  Fili- 
pino people  in  whose  hands  are  the  levers  which  move  the 
future. 

It  is  a matter  of  deep  regret  to  all  the  other  missions 
at  work  in  the  Philippines  that  the  Episcopalians  will  not 
enter  the  Evangelical  Union.  It  was  in  the  interest  of 
practical  unity  and  fraternity  that  the  Union  was  organ- 
ized. Major  E.  W.  Halford,  its  first  president,  prophesied 
a glowing  future  for  the  work  in  the  Philippines  when  all 
the  forces  which  make  for  the  salvation  of  these  Islands 
should  be  really  united.  That  the  Church  which  so 
strongly  emphasizes  the  necessity  of  Church  unity  will 
not  unite  with  all  others  for  such  ends  can  not  but  dis- 
appoint our  hopes.  But  nothing  could  exceed  the  beau- 


Episcopalian  and  Other  Churches. 


473 


tiful  spirit  of  brotherliness  which  characterizes  Bishop 
Brent  and  his  force  of  workers.  It  may  be  that  we  are 
mistaken  in  our  notions  of  the  best  way  to  secure  unity, 
and  that  these  our  brothers  in  the  Episcopalian  Church  are 
right.  In  any  case  we  be  brethren,  and  will  work  together 
for  the  uplifting  of  a people  scattered  and  peeled  by  cen- 
turies of  misrule  and  oppression. 

The  United  Brethren  were  first  represented  here  by 
Rev.  E.  S.  Eby  and  Rev.  Sanford  B.  Kurtz,  who  arrived 
April  I,  1901.  Rev.  L.  O.  Burtner  arrived  later  as  super- 
intendent of  the  mission.  Owing  to  differences  of  judg- 
ment as  to  the  occupation  of  the  territory  assigned  them 
by  the  Evangelical  Union,  and  to  the  determination  of  Mr. 
Burtner  to  reside  and  labor  in  Manila,  both  Mr.  Eby  and 
Mr.  Kurtz  accepted  work  with  the  Army  and  Navy  Branch 
of  the  Young  Men’s  Christian  Association,  with  which 
organization  they  are  yet  engaged.  Mr.  Burtner  came  to 
Manila,  where  he  has  been  living  for  more  than  two  years. 
No  mission  work  has  been  begun  as  yet  either  in  Manila 
or  the  assigned  field.  Mr.  Burtner  will  retire  from  the 
field  early  in  1904.  No  portion  of  the  entire  Archipelago 
was  more  ripe  for  evangelistic  effort  than  the  Ilokos  prov- 
inces, which  were  given  to  the  United  Brethren  in  the 
tentative  allotment  of  territory  arrived  at  by  the  Union. 
Now  practically  the  entire  population  has  gone  over  to 
the  Aglipav  movement.  In  Ilokos  Norte  the  Catholic 
Church  holds  but  three  churches  and  priests  in  the  entire 
province.  Thousands  of  souls  might  have  been  gathered 
in  if  the  mission  had  entered  vigorously  upon  the  evangel- 
ization of  the  people  to  whom  their  representatives  were 
first  sent.  At  present  the  mission  is  represented  by  Rev. 
H.  W.  Widdoes,  who  intends  opening  work  in  Manila. 

The  Disciple  Church  is  represented  bv  Rev.  Hermon 
P.  Williams  and  Rev.  W.  H.  Hanna.  They  came  to  the 


474  The;  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 

field  in  August  and  December  of  1901,  Mr.  Williams  hav- 
ing formerly  served  in  the  Islands  as  chaplain  of  a volun- 
teer regiment.  Mr.  Hanna  undertook  English  work  in 
Manila ; but  at  the  end  of  a little  more  than  a year  this 
work  was  closed,  and  both  workers  went  to  occupy  Loag, 
the  capital  of  Ilokos  Norte,  in  Luzon.  They  have  now 
been  joined  by  Dr.  J.  H.  Pickett,  who  comes  to  undertake 
medical  work. 

The  Congregational  Church  is  at  present  represented 
by  but  one  missionary — Rev.  Robert  F.  Black.  He  has 
selected  the  island  of  Mindanao  as  his  field  of  labor,  and 
occupied  the  city  of  Davao,  on  the  southern  coast.  He 
intends  to  devote  his  efforts  chiefly  to  the  pagan  tribes. 
In  that  part  of  the  island  there  are  Atas,  Bogobos,  Bilanes, 
Caliganes,  Guigangas,  Mandayans,  Manobos,  Tagacoalos, 
Samales,  and  Tanguils,  aggregating  more  than  fifty  thou- 
sand people,  all  wholly  uncivilized,  having  no  written  lan- 
guage, and,  of  course,  only  the  crudest  ideas  of  things 
spiritual.  Mr.  Black  finds  an  eager  welcome  for  the  Scrip- 
tures among  the  Christianized  Visayans  settled  in  the 
Islands.  The  vast  majority  of  the  population  of  Mindanao 
is  Mohammedan.  Among  these,  mission  work  will  pro- 
ceed very  slowly.  They  are  a bloody  and  treacherous  peo- 
ple, and  give  little  promise  of  yielding  to  the  efforts  of  the 
government  either  to  control  them  or  improve  their  con- 
ditions. It  is  expected  that  the  American  Board  of  Com- 
missioners for  Foreign  Missions  will  soon  re-enforce  this 
important  work. 

The  Army  and  Navy  Branch  of  the  Young  Men’s 
Christian  Association  limits  its  activities  to  the  work 
among  soldiers  and  sailors.  Among  these  classes  its  work 
is  most  profitable.  The  delay  in  starting  work  among  the 
young  civilians  in  Manila  is  inexplicable.  The  present  op- 


Episcopalian  and  Other  Churches.  475 

portunity  for  Christian  usefulness  among  these  thousands 
is  many-fold  greater  than  among  soldiers  or  sailors. 

There  seems  to  be  no  way  for  arriving  at  an  arrange- 
ment by  which  Churches  which  can  not  undertake  work 
on  anything  like  a large  scale  shall  be  induced  to  confine 
their  efforts  to  other  fields.  If  this  could  be  arrived  at, 
and  this  Philippine  field  be  left  to  four  or  five  of  the  strong 
Churches,  it  would  minister  to  the  most  rapid  and  satis- 
factory accomplishment  of  that  end  for  which  all  devoutly 
pray — the  moral  and  spiritual  redemption  of  the  Philip- 
pine Islands. 

There  have  been  but  few  instances  of  a lack  of  fra- 
ternity thus  far.  In  one'  case  a local  preacher,  who  had 
refused  to  accept  the  work  given  him,  and  was  pouting  in 
his  tent,  was  taken  bv  the  representative  of  another  mis- 
sion, immersed,  and  later  given  work.  This  kind  of  thing 
is  fatal  to  missionary  fraternity.  In  the  degree  in  which 
it  is  allowed  to  go  on,  it  defeats  all  those  high  ends  for 
which  the  Evangelical  Union  stands.  It  is  to  be  hoped 
that  such  a flagrant  breach  of  missionary  comity  will  never 
occur  again,  and  that  in  all  parts  of  the  field  the  same 
spirit  of  brotherly  consideration  and  unselfishness  will  pre- 
vail which  has  been  the  rule  from  the  beginning  to  the 
present.  “By  this  shall  all  men  know”  that  we  are  Christ’s 
disciples,  if  we  have  love  and  consideration  one  for  an- 
other. The  missionary  who  is  here  in  the  Philippines 
primarily  to  build  up  a denomination  should  be  immedi- 
ately recalled.  We  are  here  to  build  up  the  Kingdom  of 
Righteousness,  and  only  so  far  as  our  native  Churches 
hasten  this  end  are  they  of  any  real  use  to  Him  in  whose 
name  we  labor. 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 


Some  Difficulties  Confronting  Mission  Work. 

In  all  lands  the  chief  hindrance  to  the  rapid  advance 
of  the  kingdom  of  God  is  the  hardness  and  impenitence 
of  the  human  heart.  Men  will  not  be  saved  because  they 
love  darkness  rather  than  light. 

Particular  hindrances  which  affect  us  here  may  be 
limited  to  three.  These  are  the  almost  invincible  tendency 
to  religious  formalism  on  the  part  of  the  people,  the  vicious 
example  of  worldly  and  godless  Americans,  and  the  lan- 
guage barriers  which  rise  between  us  and  those  to  whom 
we  would  minister. 

Form  and  ceremony  have  been  the  whole  of  religion 
to  the  Christianized  Filipinos  so  long  that  it  is  with  the 
utmost  difficulty  that  the  essentially  spiritual  character 
of  true  religion  is  grasped  by  the  Filipino  mind.  When  he 
had  confessed  and  knelt  at  the  mass  the  Filipino  Christian 
had  been  religious ! When  the  women  have  said  the  cor- 
rect number  of  paternosters,  and  crossed  themselves  at 
the  right  times,  and  counted  their  beads  correctly,  and 
otherwise  “gone  through”  the  daily  religious  program, 
there  was  no  more  consciousness  of  obligation.  The  fact 
that  the  heart  was  seething  with  hatred,  or  that  the  lips 
spoke  blasphemies  or  poured  forth  torrents  of  abuse  or 
falsehoods,  weighed  as  the  small  dust  of  the  balance 
against  the  other  fact  that  all  the  regulations  of  worship 
had  been  strictly  complied  with.  That  God  demands  in- 

476 


Difficulties  Confronting  Mission  Work.  477 

terior  purity,  and  that  He  will  have  none  of  our  cere- 
monies if  sin  is  intrenched  in  the  life,  is  a notion  so  foreign 
to  the  mind  of  the  Filipino  people  as  a whole,  that  one  of 
the  main  difficulties  that  looms  on  all  our  horizons  is  that 
of  removing  this  deep-seated  notion  and  supplanting  it 
with  the  opposite  belief.  The  people  are  ready  to  be  bap- 
tized, to  read  their  Bibles,  to  unite  with  our  Churches,  and 
to  comply  with  our  outward  requirements  ; but  in  too  many 
cases  they  are  not  clearly  converted  as  we  understand 
that  term,  and  their  spiritual  regeneration  must  come  be- 
fore their  eyes  are  open  to  spiritual  things.  Here  is  the 
peril  of  the  rapidly-growing  Protestant  Churches.  If  their 
founders  can  walk  so  closely  with  God,  and  have  so  large  a 
measure  of  the  Holy  Spirit’s  presence  that  the  work  of 
conviction  for  sin  can  go  on  among  those  who  are  dis- 
cipled  unto  Christ,  then  the  work  will  run  with  swiftness 
to  all  parts  of  the  Islands,  and  will  abide  as  a permanent 
regenerating  force.  Christ  gave  the  condition  upon  which 
alone  this  connection  with  the  Spirit  of  conviction  could 
be  enjoyed  by  His  workers  when  He  said,  “And  He,  when 
He  is  come  [unto  you]  will  convince  the  world  of  sin  and 
of  righteousness  and  of  judgment.”  Only  as  the  Spirit 
comes  unto  and  abides  in  us  who  labor  in  His  name  will 
He  be  a Spirit  of  conviction  in  the  hearts  of  the  spiritually 
dead. 

Those  Churches  which  are  receiving  members  most 
rapidly  are  face  to  face  with  this  difficulty  in  a grave  form. 
But  it  can  not  but  be  mightily  encouraging  to  know  that 
the  real  spiritual  life  of  the  native  Churches  of  our  own 
planting,  at  least  (for  I can  only  speak  with  authority  of 
them),  is  steadily  deepening.  Through  special  services, 
in  camp-meetings,  in  class-meetings,  in  personal  inter- 
course, we  who  labor  in  the  Philippines  must  confront 


478  The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 

this  peril  of  formalism,  and  spare  no  effort  to  break  its 
force  in  the  Churches  which  are  founded. 

It  is  sad  but  true  that  one  of  the  most  powerful  hin- 
drances to  our  work  of  evangelization  of  the  native  popu- 
lation of  the  Philippines  is  due  to  the  worldliness  and 
open  godlessness  of  many  Americans.  The  worldliness 
that  smites  the  most  of  Americans  who  come  to  the  Philip- 
pines is  chiefly  seen  in  the  neglect,  if  not  open  and  sneer- 
ing contempt,  for  all  forms  of  religious  worship.  Out  of 
eight  thousand  Americans  in  Manila,  not  more  than  five 
hundred  different  persons  can  be  found  in  the  three  Amer- 
ican congregations  which  minister  to  the  American  popu- 
lation on  any  Sunday.  These  Churches  have  as  good 
preaching  as  will  be  found  in  similar  Churches  in  the 
United  States.  Their  choirs  furnish  excellent  music.  The 
buildings  are  well  located.  All  publicity  possible  is  given 
to  the  services  in  newspapers  and  through  other  means  of 
public  announcement.  But  the  people  do  not  go  to  church 
in  any  considerable  numbers.  A partial  explanation  may 
be  found  in  the  lack  of  adequate  means  of  communication 
in  the  city.  But  this  does  not  hinder  crowds  from  going 
to  any  other  place  which  they  wish  to  attend.  The  fact 
is  that  a spirit  of  extreme  worldliness  prevails  in  Manila. 
Men  and  women  who  always  went  to  church  at  home 
never  go  here.  Men  and  women  who  were  scrupulous 
about  the  right  observance  of  the  Sabbath  here  are  found 
at  the  Sunday  races,  Sunday  ball-games,  or  going  for 
Sunday  excursions  on  the  bay  or  river.  Government  offi- 
cials have  set  the  example,  as  was  shown  in  another  chap- 
ter. It  was  considered  the  right  thing  to  comport  one’s 
self  as  an  official  so  as  to  allay  any  possible  fear  that  the 
government  was  to  use  its  influence  in  favor  of  Prot- 
estantism, and  clerks  and  heads  of  departments  took  the 


Difficulties  Confronting  Mission  Work.  479 

cue  quickly.  This  lias  changed  somewhat,  but  there  is 
large  room  for  improvement. 

The  society  life  of  Manila  seems  given  over  to  bridge 
whist,  dancing,  Sunday  games  and  fetes,  and  other  occu- 
pations which  do  not  tend  toward  religious  living.  Many 
of  the  American  women  have  little  to  do.  Their  Chinese 
cooks  prepare  the  meals.  Filipino  house-boys  do  the  house- 
keeping. A native  nurse  looks  after  the  children.  A 
steamstress  keeps  the  sewing-machine  whirring,  and  the 
wife  and  mother  can  spend  her  time  in  going  from  one 
function  to  another  with  not  much  concern  for  domestic 
affairs.  All  this  tends  away  from  spirituality,  and  affects 
the  tone  of  social  life  unfavorably. 

The  largest  items  in  the  indictment  are  drink,  lust, 
and  gambling.  It  will  forever  remain  a mystery  to  the 
thoughtful  why  the  military  government  admitted  ship- 
loads of  liquor  in  the  beginning,  and  permitted  private 
greed  for  gain  to  supplement  the  evil  of  the  regimental 
canteen  in  ruining  our  soldiers  and  setting  an  evil  example 
to  the  natives  of  the  Islands.  One  word  from  the  military 
authorities  would  have  made  it  impossible  for  liquor  to 
land.  But  it  was  not  spoken.  The  annual  license  was 
fixed  at  the  utterly  ridiculous  figure  of  $4!  Saloons 
sprang  up  on  every  hand.  Soldiers  lay  sodden  drunk  on 
the  public  roads.  Our  national  honor  was  dragged  in  the 
very  dirt  of  the  streets. 

It  is  vastly  to  the  credit  of  the  civil  government  that 
as  soon  as  it  came  into  power  all  saloons  were  banished 
from  the  Escolta,  and  from  all  the  principal  business 
streets  of  Manila.  Also,  that  in  framing  a charter  for 
Manila,  they  included  a set  of  laws  on  the  liquor  question 
which  were  superior  to  those  prevailing  in  many  of  our 
home  cities.  Saloons  have  to  pay  from  $600  to  $800  per 


480  The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 

year  for  their  licenses,  and  must  close  at  eleven  o’clock 
at  night  and  remain  closed  Sundays.  A pane  of  glass 
must  be  set  in  all  doors  leading  to  the  streets  from  which 
a view  of  the  bar  can  be  had,  and  offenders  are  promptly 
and  severely  punished.  While  the  whole  number  of  native 
wine-shops  in  Manila  has  been  reduced  from  over  4,000  at 
the  time  of  American  occupation  to  1,168  on  the  last  day 
of  June,  1903,  yet  there  has  been  the  introduction  of  the 
American  saloon  with  all  its  attractiveness  as  a totally 
new  factor  in  the  life  of  the  city.  On  June  30,  1903,  there 
were  157  places  licensed  in  the  city  of  Manila  in  which 
liquor  could  be  bought  and  consumed  on  the  premises. 
Of  these,  61  were  what  we  understand  in  America  by 
saloons,  called  here  “first-class  bars 63  were  second- 
class  bars,  or  bars  at  which  liquors  were  kept  in  a semi- 
private way ; 48  were  restaurants,  and  five  were  hotels. 
Restaurant  licenses  require  the  taking  of  a bona  fide  meal 
with  every  sale  of  liquor.  Hotel  licenses  do  not.  Of  the 
63  second-class  bars,  57  are  in  the  houses  of  prostitution 
in  Sampaloc.  An  earnest  effort  is  being  made  to  compel 
the  authorities  to  banish  liquor  from  these  brothels.  There 
were  61  wholesale  liquor  licenses  in  force  on  the  date  men- 
tioned above.  Three  or  four  large  “commercial  com- 
panies” in  Manila  sell  little  else  than  liquor,  though  seek- 
ing to  be  known  as  respectable  merchants.  There  are 
seven  licensed  distilleries  in  Manila,  one  brewery  doing  an 
immense  business,  and  86  licensed  groceries  handling 
liquors.  Taking  saloons  as  that  term  is  understood  in 
America,  there  were  129  in  operation  at  the  close  of  the 
last  fiscal  year,  June  30,  1903.  As  compared  with  Amer- 
ican cities,  that  is  not  a bad  showing.  The  following 
table  is  tbe  most  recent  procurable  in  Manila.  I take  it 
from  Dr.  Brown’s  book  : 


Difficulties  Confronting  Mission  Work.  481 


Washington  .. 
Cleveland  . 
Cincinnati. 
New  Orleans 
Milwaukee  ... 
San  Francisco 

St  Louis 

Baltimore 

Boston  

Philadelphia  . 

Chicago 

New  York  ..  . . 


278,718 
381,768 
325.902 
287,  ia( 
285.310 
342.782 
575.238 

508957 

560.892 

■.293.697 

■•698.575 

3.437.202 


'.37° 

■•747 

3.007 

2,000 

1,988 

799 

1,709 

6.460 

10.832 


But  it  must  be  remembered  that  the  American  and  for- 
eign population  of  Manila  to  which  these  saloons  furnish 
liquor,  and  to  them  almost  exclusively . is  not  more  than 
ten  thousand,  so  that  the  consumption  per  capita  is  appal- 
lingly large,  with  correspondingly  evil  effects  on  our  work 
for  the  uplifting  of  the  Filipino  people.  They  are  nearly 
all  users  of  intoxicants  of  their  own  making.  They  drink 
hi  no,  a deadly  white  liquor  distilled  from  the  nipa  palm, 
and  tuba,  an  intoxicant  made  from  the  juice  of  the  cocoa- 
nut-tree  ; but  they  are  not  an  intemperate  people.  They 
are  seldom  seen  drunk.  The  habit  of  drinking  to  intoxi- 
cation is  an  American  habit  here.  And  such  a habit,  with 
its  concomitant  vices,  does  not  lend  itself  to  efforts  which 
are  being  put  forth  to  better  the  moral  condition  of  the 
native  population. 

Concubinage  is  a terribly  common  sin  among  Amer- 
icans. The  system  of  contract  marriages  which  grew  up 
under  the  excessive  demands  of  the  friars  for  marriage 
fees  has  lent  itself  to  this  evil.  Conditions  in  this  respect 
are  better  than  they  were  two  years  ago ; but  they  are  yet 
sufficiently  shameful  to  cause  us  to  blush  for  the  influence 
exerted  by  scores  of  Americans  who  have  been  reared 
to  know  better  than  to  live  in  open  sin. 

31 


482  The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 


Gambling  is  in  the  very  atmosphere  of  the  East.  Our 
countrymen  fall  victims  to  it  with  fata]  facility.  The 
balmy  air,  the  easy  conditions  of  life,  the  thousand  oppor- 
tunities which  the  white  man  has  of  recouping  himself 
when  the  fickle  goddess  of  the  game  is  unfriendly, — all 
these  make  gaming  more  fascinating  here  than  in  lands 
where  conditions  are  more  rigorous. 

The  American  influence  is  not  all  bad.  It  is  not  true, 
as  some  say,  that  we  are  imparting  all  our  vices  and  none 
of  our  virtues  to  the  Filipinos;  but  there  is  enough  truth 
in  the  statement  to  sadden  every  one  who  loves  righteous- 
ness. There  are  hundreds  of  our  countrymen  who  arc 
living  purely  and  unselfishly  in  the  midst  of  this  people, 
and  to  these  we  give  our  hands,  and  with  these  we  join 
our  forces  in  the  firm  belief  that  “grace  is  stronger  than 
sin.” 

The  difficulty  of  acquiring  the  local  vernaculars  so 
that  every  man  may  hear  in  his  own  tongue  the  wonderful 
works  of  God  is  one  that  confronts  us  in  every  part  of  the 
Islands.  At  my  request,  Rev.  Willard  A.  Goodell  of  the 
Methodist  mission,  who  has  probably  acquired  the  Tagalog 
language  more  perfectly  than  any  other  American  in  the 
Philippines,  has  prepared  the  following  Notes  on  the 
Tagalog  Language : 

“I.  Tagalog  is  essentially  a spoken  language  and  full 
of  idiom.  The  people  themselves  know  very  little  about 
its  why’s  and  wherefore’s,  even  those  who  have  some 
education  in  Spanish  and  Latin.  They  merely  know 
it  as  they  have  learned  it,  without  a question  as  to  its 
make-up.  But  it  is  not  without  system.  The  Spanish 
friars  wrote  fairly  good  grammars  of  the  language  in 
Spanish,  and  Constantino  Lendoyro  has  written  a very 
good  one  in  English. 

“Aside  from  the  devotional  books  of  the  Catholic 
Church  and  the  grammatical  works  of  the  friars  in  Span- 


Difficulties  Confronting  Mission  Work.  483 


ish-Tagalog,  there  is  practically  no  literature  in  the  lan- 
guage prior  to  the  work  of  the  Protestants. 

"II.  The  pronunciation  of  Tagalog  is  very  simple, 
and  there  are  no  sounds  to  which  the  American  vocal 
organs  are  not  accustomed.  The  letter  most  difficult  to 
get  is  ‘ng,‘  which  has  exactly  the  sound  which  it  has  in 
the  middle  of  the  word  ‘ringing;’  but  which  becomes  dif- 
ficult when  at  the  beginning  of  a word,  as  in  the  word 
‘nguni,  t,’ — one  of  the  words  translating  the  conjunction 
‘but,’  and  which  often  comes  at  the  beginning  of  a sen- 
tence. 

“But  although  so  simple  in  word  pronunciation,  Taga- 
log is  extremely  difficult  in  utterance,  for  one  reason  be- 
cause of  the  great  number  of  very  long  words  it  contains, 
and  for  another  and  more  important  still,  because  of  the 
rhythmic  movement  of  the  language, — a quality  that  can 
not  be  described,  and  a characteristic  for  which  no  rules 
whatever  can  be  given,  but  which  is  entirely  as  much  a 
part  of  the  Tagalog  language  as  are  its  words  them- 
selves. 

“III.  I11  grammatical  construction,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  the  verb,  the  language  is  very  simple.  The  nouns 
are  not  declined,  the  cases  being  indicated  by  the  article, 
which  is  declined  in  singular  forms  only.  All  plurals 
are  formed  by  prefixing  the  article  ‘manga’  to  the  word 
or  expression  to  be  pluralized. 

“There  is  no  gender  in  Tagalog.  With  the  exception 
of  the  words  for  ‘father,’  ‘mother,’  ‘uncle,’  ‘aunt,’  ‘brother- 
in-law,’  ‘sister-in-law,’  ‘young-man,’  ‘young-woman,’ 
there  are  practically  no  nouns  which  could  be  said  to 
have  gender  forms.  It  is  expressed  by  the  use  of  the 
adjectives  ‘male’  and  ‘female ;’  even  such  common  words 
as  ‘man,’  ‘woman,’  ‘son,’  ‘daughter,’  ‘brother,’  ‘sister,’  etc., 
are  used  as  ‘male  person,’  ‘male  child,’  etc. 

“The  pronouns  are  declined  almost  exactly  as  Eng- 
lish pronouns  and  are  used  in  the  same  way.  There  are, 
however,  a few  pronouns  in  the  first  person  plural  that 
are  not  found  in  English : one  excluding  the  person  ad- 
dressed, ‘we,  but  not  you ;’  one  including  the  person  ad- 
dressed, ‘we  all ;’  and  one  meanipg  ‘we  two  only.’ 


484  The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 

“IV.  It  is  in  the  use  of  the  verb  that  Tagalog  baffles 
the  student  and  makes  its  mastery  a matter  of  years.  In 
the  actual  matter  of  conjugation,  the  commonly-used  forms 
of  any  verb  are  simple  enough.  There  are  really  only  three 
tenses,  and  only  one  mood.  There  is  but  one  form  in  each 
tense  for  all  three  persons.  There  is  a pluralizing  particle 
which  may  be  used  or  not,  which,  in  fact,  is  not  commonly 
used  in  the  spoken  language.  The  verb  in  the  sentence 
must  have  a subject,  either  noun  or  pronoun,  very  much 
as  in  English. 

“But  simple  as  is  the  conjugation  of  the  verb  at  its 
root,  in  actual  use  it  grows  into  a system  of  ramifications 
and  variations  and  inexplicable  and  indescribable  differ- 
entiations, which  fairly  overawes  the  student  accustomed 
to  perhaps  five  conjugations  and  a few  hundred  irregular 
verbs.  For  the  conjugating  in  Tagalog  is  not  by  endings, 
but  by  particles  prefixed,  inserted,  or  suffixed,  often  all 
three  in  the  same  form.  And  as  there  are  seventeen  com- 
plete sets  of  these  particles,  active  and  passive,  with  vari- 
ations uncountable  according  to  euphony  or  sense ; and 
as  these  seventeen  sets  of  verbalizing  particles  when  ap- 
plied to  one  root  may  produce  entirely  different  effects  in 
signification  from  what  they  do  when  applied  to  another 
root ; and  as,  in  addition,  the  passive  voice  is  much  more 
used  than  the  active,  and  in  places  where  English  would 
always  use  the  active,  and  as  all  this  is  done  without  law 
or  order  or  any  possible  explanation,  but  merely  intuitively 
by  the  natives  who  have  had  their  language  handed  down 
from  generation  to  generation,  it  is  easily  seen  what  an 
intricate  and  interminable  task  is  set  the  student  of  the 
language. 

“In  Tagalog  much  confusion  comes  from  the  similar- 
ity of  ideas,  which  in  English  are  quite  distinct.  For  in- 
stance, the  same  root  differently  conjugated  means  ‘to 
buy’  and  ‘to  sell in  the  same  way  one  root  means  ‘to 
borrow,’  ‘to  lend,’  ‘to  be  debtor,’  and  ‘to  be  creditor ;’  and 
one  root  is  conjugated  to  mean  ‘to  study,’  ‘to  learn.’  and 
‘to  preach.’  Some  examples  of  the  last  cited  root,  taken 
from  Lendoyro’s  ‘The  Tagalog  Language,’  may  serve  to 
illustrate  the  complexities  of  this  system  of  conjugation. 


Difficulties  Confronting  Mission  Work.  485 

“The  root  is  ‘aral.’  Used  alone  it  means  ‘a  doctrine  or 
teaching.’ 

umaral to  teach. 

magaral to  learn,  to  study. 

mangaral to  preach. 

macaaral to  be  able  to  teach. 

magpapagaral  to  order  or  bid  one  to  study. 

maquipangaral to  join  with  one  in  preaching. 

papangaral to  ask  for  or  wish  preaching. 

magpacapangaral  ..  . .to  try  to  preach  one’s  very  best. 

ang  pagaral the  lesson  taught. 

ang  pagaaral the  lesson  studied. 

ang  pagaaralan the  book  from  which  one  studies. 

ang  ypinangaral the  sermon  preached. 

ang  pinangangaralan . the  audience  to  which  one  preaches, 
ang  mangangaral.  . . .the  preacher. 

ang  ungmaaral the  teacher. 

ang  nagaaral the  student. 


“Although  most  of  the  roots  in  the  Tagalog  language 
are  short,  yet  by  reason  of  the  multitudinous  particles  used 
in  conjugating,  it  becomes  a language  of  long  words,  and 
these  often  of  strange  alphabetical  make-up.  A root  of 
four  letters  may  be  conjugated  into  a word  of  five  times 
that  number  of  letters,  thus : ‘olol,’  crazy,  becomes  ‘nan- 
gasisipagololololan,’  meaning  ‘they  feign  madness;’  and 
‘usap,’  to  converse,  becomes  ‘nangagsisipagusapusap,’  to 
mean  ‘they  gossip.’ 

“V.  The  system  of  conjugation  in  Tagalog  begets 
many  peculiarities.  Nearly  all  words,  whatever  part  of 
speech  the  root  may  be,  may  be  converted  into  other  parts 
of  speech  by  the  proper  particles  prefixed,  suffixed,  or  in- 
serted. For  instance,  there  are  no  verbs  ‘come’  and  ‘go’ 
in  Tagalog.  Instead  the  adverbs  ‘here’  and  ‘there.’  Thus 
one  ‘heres’  and  ‘theres,’  not  ‘comes’  and  ‘goes.’  Pronouns 
thus  conjugated  make  odd  examples.  I ‘mine’  a thing, 
or  ‘yours’  it  or  ‘his’  it,  that  is,  I impute  it  to  be  mine,  or 
yours,  or  his. 

“Nouns  are  also  thus  used : ‘binabalang  ang  palav’  lit- 


486  The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 


erally  says  ‘is  being  locusted  the  rice,’  meaning  ‘the  locusts 
are  destroying  the  growing  rice likewise  ‘was  ratted  the 
cheese’  for  ‘the  rats  nibbled  the  cheese.’ 

“VI.  There  are  many  idioms  in  Tagalog,  although  it 
is  not  a language  rich  in  allusions  and  folk-lore.  Instead 
of  saying  ‘the  sun  sets,’  it  is  ‘the  sun  drowns.’  The  verb 
‘walk’  is  used  for  almost  any  kind  of  movement.  ‘The 
clock  is  dead ; it  is  not  walking.’  ‘The  present  month’  is 
‘the  month  now  walking.’  ‘The  telegraph  is  not  walking 
on  account  of  the  storm.’ 

“On  being  asked  why  a certain  lamp  was  not  lighted, 
the  servant  replied,  ‘The  oil  does  not  like  to  walk  up  the 
wick,’  meaning  ‘the  wick  was  bad.’  ‘Time  walks,’  for 
‘time  passes.’ 

“VII.  In  Tagalog  the  adverbs  ‘already’  and  ‘still’  are 
very  distinct,  and  are  used  strictly  and  constantly.  This 
accuracy  is  quite  difficult  for  the  English  student  to  ac- 
quire. Added  to  this  difficulty  is  the  fact  that  in  Tagalog 
the  negatives  of  the  verbs  ‘to  be,’  ‘to  have,’  and  ‘to  want’ 
are  themselves  positive  verbs.  ‘May,’  to  have,  and  ‘ay,’ 
to  be,  have  for  their  negatives  the  active  verb  ‘uala,’  to  be 
without,  or  not  to  be ; and  ‘ibig,’  to  want,  has  for  its  nega- 
tive ‘ayao,’  not  to  want,  to  dislike.  Thus,  ‘Ibig  mo  pa 
tubig?’ — Do  you  .want  more  water?  (literally,  Do  you 
still  want  water? — has  to  correspond  with  its  negative 
answer  in  English  the  positive  answer  in  Tagalog,  ‘Ayao 
co  na,’  I do-not-want  already;  literally,  ‘already  I have 
gotten  to  the  point  where  I do  not  want.’ 

“VIII.  But  by  far  the  most  striking  peculiarity  of 
Tagalog  is  found  in  the  use  of  the  passive, — a veritable 
backing  into  a statement!  Nearly  all  simple  commands 
are  in  the  passive : ‘be  washed  bv  you  the  dishes,’  ‘be  writ- 
ten by  you  the  letter.’  The  plain  active  sentence  in  Eng- 
lish, ‘He  wants  you  to  bring  him  a net  because  the  mos- 
quitoes are  biting  him,’  when  stated  in  the  simplest  Taga- 
log reads  literally,  ‘Is  wanted  by  him  to  be  brought  by  you 
a net  because  lie  is  being  mosquitoed ;’  and  ‘Tell  him  to 
call  a doctor  for  this  fever  patient’  would  become,  ‘Be  told 
by  yon  to  him  that  is  wanted  by  me  to  be  called  by  him  a 
doctor  for  this  person  which  is  being  fevered.’  ” 


Difficulties  Confronting  Mission  Work.  487 

Rev.  A.  E.  Chenoweth,  of  the  same  mission,  says: 

“The  following  will  illustrate  both  the  use  of  the  pas- 
sive voice  and  the  genitive  case: 

And  they  reasoned  with  themselves,  saving.  If  we 
shall  say  from  heaven;  he  will  say,  Why  then!' did  ye  not 
believe  him?’  (Mark  xi,  31.)  The  Tagalog  reads,  ‘At 
camilang  pinagbubulay-bulay  sa  camilang  sarili  na  sina- 
sabi ; Cung  sabihin  nating  mula  sa  langit,  ay  sasabihin 
Baquit,  nga  hindi  ninyo  siya  pinanampalatayahan  ?’  The 
literal  translation  of  this  is,  ‘And  of  them  was  reasoned 
with  themselves  and  was  said.  If  to  be  said  of  us,  from 
heaven,  will  be  said  (of  him),  Why,  then  not  of  you  he 
was  believed  ?’  ” 


BISHOP  JAMES  M.  THOBURN. 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 


The  Aglipay  Movement. 

Catholicism  in  the  Philippines  is  no  longer  of  one 
kind  only.  A schism  has  taken  place.  Under  the  leader- 
ship of  Gregorio  Aglipay  at  least  one  million  and  a half 
of  the  Filipinos  have  left  the  Holy  and  Apostolic  Roman 
Catholic  Church,  and  set  up  the  Independent  Catholic 
Church  of  the  Philippines.  Whatever  may  be  the  future 
of  the  movement,  it  has  rent  the  old  Church  in  twain  from 
top  to  bottom,  and  now  holds  the  attention  of  Catholic 
leaders  to  a far  greater  degree  than  Protestantism,  for 
the  reason  that  it  is  just  now  more  to  be  feared  by  Cath- 
olic leaders  than  Protestantism. 

Archbishop  Aglipay  is  an  ex-communicated  Catholic 
priest.  He  is  about  forty  years  of  age.  He  is  an  Ilocano 
by  birth.  He  was  carefully  educated  for  the  priesthood 
in  a Catholic  seminary,  and  was  ordained  in  Manila  about 
1890.  His  advancement  was  unusually  rapid.  He  was 
trusted  by  his  friar  superiors,  and  given  charge  of  im- 
portant and  delicate  interests.  But  in  the  stormy  days  of 
the  insurrection  and  beginnings  of  American  occupation 
he  fell  into  ill-favor  with  the  Church  authorities  over  some 
irregularity  in  Church  order,  and  was  excommunicated. 
The  action  was  glaringly  unjust  and  entirely  irregular. 
But  he  was  a Filipino.  He  was  far  away  from  the  pope. 
By  no  means  at  his  disposal  could  he  secure  a removal 
of  the  illegal  and  unjust  sentence.  Hence  he  cast  his  lot 
in  with  the  Insurrecto  government,  and  Aguinaldo  made 

48S 


The  Aglipay  Movement. 


489 


him  Vicar-General — an  empty  honor.  Once  or  twice  he 
led  troops  in  action  in  exigencies  of  the  guerrilla  warfare 
which  the  scattered  troops  of  the  insurgent  army  were 
able  to  maintain.  Very  soon  after  the  proclamation  which 
the  Schurman  Commission  issued  on  the  4th  of  April, 
1899,  he  saw  the  futility  of  further  resistance  to  Amer- 
ican arms,  and  the  probability  that  under  American  sover- 
eignty all  those  ends  for  which  the  Filipinos  were  fighting 
could  be  secured  more  certainly  than  by  the  triumph  of 
Insurrecto  arms.  Hence  lie  “came  in,”  and  took  the  oath 
of  allegiance. 

In  August  of  1901  lie  sought  a private  conference  with 
several  Protestant  ministers  to  discuss  the  religious  situ- 
ation in  the  Philippines,  outline  his  own  plans,  and  seek 
some  form  of  co-operation  if  union  of  effort  proved  im- 
practicable. He  took  the  initiative.  It  was  his  first  con- 
tact with  Protestants,  whom  he  had  always  denounced 
as  the  offscourings  of  the  earth.  The  fact  that  lie  sought 
us  out  was  an  indication  of  his  intellectual  hospitality. 

The  conference  was  held  in  the  office  of  the  American 
Bible  Society  in  the  Walled  City,  Manila.  Those  present 
were : Rev.  Jay  C.  Goodrich,  agent  of  the  Bible  Society ; 
Rev.  James  B.  Rodgers,  senior  missionary  of  the  Presby- 
terian Church;  Rev.  J.  L.  McLaughlin  and  myself,  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  ; and  Senor  Isabelo  de  los 
Reyes,  a Filipino  gentleman  of  good  education,  and  an 
inveterate  fondness  for  agitation.  We  spent  several  hours 
in  hearing  the  first  disclosure  of  a plan  to  rend  the  Roman 
Church  in  the  Philippines  in  twain.  Senor  Aglipay.  with 
great  clearness,  set  forth  the  situation  as  he  saw  it.  He 
pictured  the  popular  hatred  of  the  friars  as  we  had  seen 
it.  He  pointed  out  the  systematic  ill-treatment  of  the 
native  clergy  by  the  foreign  friar,  and  the  unrest  which 
this  caused  among  the  entire  native  community.  He 


49°  The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 

showed  us  proofs  of  the  passionate  fervor  of  all  Filipinos 
for  their  own  Islands.  He  then  told  us  that  he  proposed 
to  lead  in  the  establishment  of  an  independent  Catholic 
Church  in  the  Philippines,  and  that  he  wished  11s  to  make 
common  cause  with  him.  The  first  item  on  his  program 
was  separation  from  the  papacy  and  complete  autonomy 
in  the  Philippines.  His  next  step  was  to  declare  for  and 
stand  “for  Catholic  doctrine  in  its  purity.”  Other  details 
were  of  less  importance. 

We  pointed  out  to  him  the  impossibility  of  any  attempt 
to  unite  with  a movement  which  did  not  make  the  Scrip- 
tures the  rule  and  guide  in  doctrine  and  life,  and  urged 
him  to  study  the  situation  more  carefullv  and  throw  his 
strength  into  the  Protestant  movement.  If  he  could  not 
do  that,  we  all  represented  the  certainty  of  failure,  if  only 
a program  of  negation  and  protest  were  entered  upon, 
and  secured  a promise  that  he  would  carefully  consider 
the  question  of  the  indorsement  of  the  Word  of  God,  mar- 
riage of  the  clergy,  and  the  abolition  of  Mariolatry. 

Little  more  was  known  of  Aglipay  until  October  of 
1902,  when  he  called  together  the  priests  and  laymen  who 
had  consented  to  join  his  movement,  and  with  their  aid 
framed  and  adopted  a constitution  for  the  new  movement, 
named  it  the  Independent  Catholic  Church  of  the  Philip- 
pines, and  was,  by  the  votes  of  these  sympathizers,  elected 
“Archbishop.”  Several  priests  were  elected  bishops  at  the 
same  time.  The  following  Sunday  the  new  archbishop, 
in  full  regalia,  celebrated  mass  in  Tondo,  Manila,  in  the 
open  air,  before  several  thousand  people.  The  sensation 
produced  was  tremendous.  Sympathizers  multiplied.  A 
native  priest  at  Pandacan,  Manila,  made  some  insulting 
references  to  Aglipay  and  his  followers,  and  when  he  came 
out  of  the  church  a mob  of  women  assaulted  him,  tore  his 


The  Aglipay  Movement. 


491 

cassock  to  shreds,  rolled  him  in  the  dirt,  and  so  hustled 
him  that  lie  was  glad  to  escape  without  a broken  head. 
Members  of  that  congregation  sent  for  the  new  arch- 
bishop to  come  and  say  mass  in  Pandacan  Church.  He 
came  and  said  mass  before  a vast  crowd,  while  over  two 
hundred  irate  women  took  their  bedding  and  cooking 
utensils  and  slept  in  the  churchyard  to  prevent  the  regular 
priest  from  again  entering  the  building.  Other  Churches 
invited  Algipay  to  use  their  buildings,  and  the  city  was  in 
a furore. 

Aglipay  and  his  advisers  demanded  confirmation  of 
their  possession  of  the  Pandacan  Church.  Roman  Cath- 
olic authorities  demanded  his  ejection  as  a trespasser  and 
a blasphemer.  Governor  Taft’s  office  was  besieged  bv 
be-gowned  ecclesiastics.  He  was  in  shoal  seas,  with 
breakers  on  all  sides.  A mistaken  decision,  and  a civil 
war  was  far  from  an  impossibility.  With  perfect  justice 
and  consummate  adroitness  he  issued  a proclamation 
known  in  the  Philippines  as  The  Proclamation  of  Peace- 
able Possession.  The  gist  of  this  order  is  that  the  party 
which  is  in  peaceable  possession  of  any  house  of  worship 
shall  be  deemed  to  be  the  rightful  occupant,  and  the  con- 
trary must  be  proven  in  the  courts  before  ejection  can 
take  place.  Under  this  order  the  court  restored  the  Panda- 
can Church  to  the  Roman  Catholic  authorities,  as  they 
were  only  driven  from  their  peaceable  possession  by  a 
mob.  The  evident  justice  of  this  order  quieted  public 
clamor,  and  trouble  was  averted. 

The  movement  spread  with  a rapidity  surpassing  be- 
lief. Whole  provinces  with  every  pueblo,  every  priest, 
every  church  with  its  attached  convento,  or  priest’s  house, 
went  over  to  Aglipav  solidly.  In  North  Ilokos  province 
but  three  Churches  and  priests  remain  loyal  to  Rome.  At 


492  The  Philippines  and  the  Par  East. 

least  1,500,000  people  and  Church  property  worth  hun- 
dreds of  thousands  of  dollars  went  into  the  control  of 
“Arsobispo”  Aglipay  as  rapidly  as  he  could  pass  in  a 
kind  of  triumphal  procession  from  town  to  town.  Under 
Governor  Taft's  proclamation  his  forces  were  “in  peace- 
able possession.’’  They  still  remain  in  possession. 
Whether  the  hierarchy  will  bring  suit  for  the  recovery  of 
every  church  and  convento  can  only  be  a matter  for  con- 
jecture. It  is  probable  that  such  action  will  be  taken. 
It  is  not  likely  that  there  will  be  a tame  submission  to  the 
loss  of  all  of  this  valuable  property.  The  legal  battle  that 
will  open  when  this  question  is  formally  taken  up  will  be 
one  well  worth  watching.  Aglipay  will  base  his  claim  to 
the  permanent  retention  of  the  property  upon  the  alleged 
fact  that  churches  were  erected  for  all  pueblos  or  cities 
from  public  funds  supplemented  by  local  contributions, 
in  exactly  the  same  manner  in  which  the  government  pro- 
vides public  offices,  jails,  and  schoolhouses,  and  that  by 
the  law  all  such  buildings  became  the  property  of  the 
pueblo  for  the  use  of  its  inhabitants. 

He  will  be  met  with  citations  from  canonical  law,  and 
from  the  practice  of  the  Roman  Catholic  Church  accord- 
ing to  which  all  titles  of  houses  of  worship  pass  auto- 
matically to  the  archbishop  of  the  diocese  in  trust  for  the 
Church  by  the  act  of  dedication.  Equity  appears  to  be 
on  the  side  of  Aglipay  and  his  followers.  It  is  to  be 
feared,  however,  that  a strict  interpretation  of  the  law 
will  not  give  them  the  hundreds  of  churches  in  which 
they  are  now  worshiping.  The  courts  must  decide. 

The  strength  of  the  Aglipay  movement  lies  in  its  ap- 
peal to  a growing  feeling  of  nationality,  its  recognition 
of  the  Word  of  God,  its  partial  satisfaction  of  the  large 
class  whose  hands  have  long  waited  for  an  available  club 


The  Acupay  Movement. 


493 


with  which  to  smite  the  friars,  and  to  its  easy  program 
of  religious  reformation. 

It  is  a Filipino  movement.  It  throws  off  the  yoke  of 
the  pope,  and  cuts  all  other  ties  of  a foreign  character. 
Its  entire  ministry,  from  the  “Arzobispo”  to  the  humblest 
padre,  is  Filipino.  It  is  altogether  of  the  soil,  and  there- 
fore he  who  does  not  support  it  is  not  a good  Filipino. 
He  does  not  love  his  Fatherland  unless  he  joins  the  Inde- 
pendent Filipino  Catholic  Church.  This  form  of  pressure 
is  very  effective.  It  brings  thousands  into  the  ranks  of 
“Aglipayanos”  who  have  precious  little  concern  about 
merely  religious  matters.  They  habitually  stand  up  for 
anything  that  exalts  the  Philippines,  hence  they  put  down 
their  names  and  accept  places  on  the  committees  which 
Aglipay  leaves  in  charge  of  his  interests  in  every  place 
where  a Church  is  established. 

The  success  of  Aglipay  cuts  the  Catholic  Church  to 
the  quick.  Therefore  friar  haters  welcome  the  move- 
ment. Any  weapon  that  will  give  promise  of  humbling 
the  haughty,  tyrannical  friar  is  welcomed  and  used  most 
lustily.  The  same  motive  leads  hundreds  to  welcome 
Protestantism,  as  they  suppose  that  our  first  business  is 
to  fight  Rome.  When  they  find  out  the  spiritual  and 
moral  demands  which  Protestantism  makes,  they  flinch. 
It  was  not  for  this  that  they  desired  “a  new  religion.” 
To  a very  great  degree  the  immediate  visible  success  of 
the  movement  is  due  to  this  cause. 

Aglipay  recommends  the  reading  of  the  Bible  bv  his 
priests  and  people.  Over  twenty-five  thousand  Scripture 
portions  have  been  purchased  outright  by  Aglipay  leaders 
within  the  last  six  months,  and  sold  to  their  people.  All 
that  is  permanently  good  in  the  movement  comes  from 
this  attitude  toward  the  inspired  Word. 


494  The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 

Its  easy  program  of  religious  reformations  attracts 
thousands.  It  promises  a better  order  of  tilings,  but 
makes  no  spiritual  or  moral  demands.  Priests  may  come 
into  the  movement,  and  keep  their  mistresses  and  continue 
their  gambling.  Aglipay  himself  has  never  been  accused 
of  immorality  or  gaming,  but  he  sets  up  no  standard  of 
purity  in  his  priesthood  or  among  his  people.  The  cock- 
pit, games  of  cards  and  dice,  the  bino  habit  and  all  other 
national  vices  come  into  the  new  Church  without  direct 
rebuke.  This,  its  real  weakness,  gives  it  apparent 
strength.  Because  of  this  it  is  enabled  to  count  its  mem- 
bers by  the  million  within  less  than  two  years  from  its 
birth. 

Indirectly  the  Aglipay  movement  is  of  great  help  to 
Protestantism.  It  breaks  the  solid  front  of  Romish  oppo- 
sition. When  we  are  told  that  the  Catholics  are  against 
us  we  can  ask,  “Which  Catholics?”  It  attracts  the  chief 
enmity  of  the  hierarchy.  Since  this  schism  began  Rome 
has  shot  fewer  arrows  toward  our  lines.  Her  fury  against 
the  assumptions  of  an  ex-communicated  member  of  her 
own  body  has  burned  day  and  night  since  October,  1902, 
and  the  Protestant  has  come  off  with  but  a few  curses, 
and  a tract  or  two.  This  will  continue  so  long  as  the 
numerical  strength  of  the  Aglipay  schism  is  being  aug- 
mented. 

The  Aglipay  movement  helps  us  by  detaching  tens  of 
thousands  of  members  from  a nominal  connection  with 
the  Church  of  Rome,  and  leaving  them  without  positive 
instruction  in  a more  excellent  way.  Our  preachers  get  a 
hearing  with  them,  and  hundreds  of  them  accept  the  Word 
and  are  saved.  These  people  would  never  have  left  the 
Roman  Catholic  Church  to  become  Protestants,  feeble  as 
was  the  hold  of  the  old  Church  upon  them ; but  once  out- 


The  Agli pay  Movement. 


495 


side  and  hungry  for  spi ritual  food,  they  hear  and  are 
saved.  Aglipay  loosens  this  fruit  from  the  tree,  and  we 
gather  it.  God  is  thus  overruling  the  shortcomings  of  the 
leaders  of  this  revolt  against  the  Romish  Church  to  the 
spiritual  good  of  many  souls. 

1 am  not  without  hope  that  Aglipay  will  yet  take  more 
advanced  spiritual  and  moral  ground.  His  own  personal 
belief  is  far  from  being  in  accord  with  some  errors  at 
which  he  feels  it  necessary  to  wink  lest  lie  lose  his  follow- 
ing. He  hopes  to  be  able  to  lead  them  to  greener  pastures 
later  on. 

The  new  American  Catholic  bishops  have  helped  Agli- 
pay by  illegal  attempts  to  seize  the  churches  now  held  bv 
the  schismatics.  Bishop  Rooker  had  been  less  than  a 
week  in  his  diocese  in  Iloilo  before  he  deliberately  took 
possession  of  a former  Romish  Church,  now  for  nearly  a 
year  "in  the  peaceable  possession”  of  Aglipayanos,  when 
he  chanced  to  find  it  open  and  empty  between  services. 
He  sent  for  the  presidente,  or  mayor,  and  demanded  the 
keys.  The  presidente  properly  disclaimed  any  authority 
in  the  case,  and  declined  to  act.  Bishop  Rooker  then  sent 
for  locks,  and  locked  all  doors  and  carried  off  the  keys. 
It  was  an  open  violation  of  the  Taft  proclamation,  and  he 
was  called  to  account. 

In  Northern  Luzon  Bishop  Dougherty  tried  the  same 
high-handed  methods,  going  to  church  after  church,  plac- 
ing his  hands  upon  the  door-sill  and  saying  in  Latin,  “In 
the  name  of  the  pope  of  Rome  I take  possession  of  this 
church.”  Several  times  he  was  assaulted  by  the  custo- 
dians of  the  buildings,  and  was  forced  to  travel  under  a 
heavy  escort  of  constabulary  on  his  return  to  his  head- 
quarters at  Vigan.  Governor  Wright  has  not  made  public 
his  orders  in  these  cases  yet,  as  they  are  of  recent  occur- 


496  The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 

rence.  It  would  seem  that  they  are  in  plain  contravention 
of  the  order  directing  all  disputes  as  to  rightful  occupancy 
to  be  determined  bv  the  courts. 

The  Independent  Filipino  Catholic  Church  has  come 
to  stay.  Just  how  strong  a hold  it  will  be  able  to  keep 
over  the  multitudes  which  have  flocked  to  its  standard  of 
revolt  against  the  pope  can  not  be  foretold.  But  it  may 
be  reckoned  with  as  a permanent  factor  in  the  religious 
future  of  the  Philippines. 


CARVED  CHURCH  DOOR,  MANILA. 


CHAPTER  XXX. 


The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 

Reduced  to  its  lowest  terms,  the  Eastern  Question  is 
the  question  whether  or  not  Russia  shall  dominate  Asia. 
Other  elements  enter  the  problem.  Other  Powers  have 
interests,  and  Japan’s  very  existence  is  at  stake;  but  it  is 
the  iron  determination  of  Russia  to  control  all  of  Asia 
which  makes  the  Eastern  Question. 

Russia  wants  the  Far  East  for  at  least  three  reasons. 
She  wants  it  because  there  she  can  get  access  to  salt  water. 
No  nation  can  be  truly  great  without  open  ports  on  the 
blue  highway  of  the  nations.  History  shows  that  every 
nation  which  has  built  up  its  commerce  until  that  com- 
merce furnished  solid  foundations  upon  which  national 
life  could  be  established  has  had  sea-room.  When  the  na- 
tions which  have  left  the  largest  contributions  to  the  laws 
and  literatures  and  institutions  of  ali  after  time  were  in 
the  height  of  their  power,  it  was  to  the  Mediterranean 
that  they  were  indebted  for  that  power.  It  was  the  sea 
which  carried  their  corn  and  their  silks  and  their  armies. 
Rome  and  Greece,  Egypt  and  Phenicia  were  sea-powers. 
Their  continental  hinterland  would  have  had  little  mean- 
ing, no  matter  how  fertile,  had  it  not  been  possible  to  send 
its  products  swiftly  to  markets  where  it  could  be  bartered 
for  other  products  for  which  the  trade  of  the  country 
called.  When  the  maritime  activities  of  the  fifteenth  and 
sixteenth  centuries  had  discovered  another  continent  richer 


32 


497 


498  The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 

than  any  yet  exploited,  at  the  farther  edge  of  the  Atlantic, 
the  center  of  the  world-life  and  world-trade  shifted  to 
this  larger  highway,  with  its  watery  roads  leading  to  all 
ports  of  the  Americas  and  Europe.  Without  the  Mediter- 
ranean, there  could  have  been  no  Egypt,  and  Rome  would 
have  been  a puny  nation.  Without  the  open  paths  of  the 
wide  Atlantic,  England’s  greatness  would  have  never 
come. 

But  Russia  can  not  reach  the  Atlantic  at  open  ports. 
Her  land  is  nearly  all  hinterland.  Nowhere  does  she  face 
salt  water.  All  her  efforts  to  reach  it  toward  the  south 
have  been  defeated  bv  the  jealousy  of  England.  Defeated 
at  the  south,  she  has  turned  to  the  East,  determined  to  find 
on  the  Pacific  what  she  has  been  denied  on  the  Mediter- 
ranean. How  deeply  rooted  is  this  conviction  that  open 
ports  on  the  sea  are  necessary  to  her  existence  and  devel- 
opment can  be  seen  in  the  vast  expenditure  of  not  less 
than  $500,000,000  for  that  most  daring  railway  project 
of  all  that  have  ever  been  attempted,  the  Trans-Siberian. 
If  further  proof  of  her  settled  policy  is  needed,  it  may  be 
found  in  her  audacity  in  wresting  from  Japan  the  fruits 
of  the  latter’s  victory  over  China  at  the  close  of  the 
China-Japan  War,  and  holding  Port  Arthur  and  Man- 
churia. Russia  now  has  reached  the  sea.  At  Port 
Arthur,  at  Vladivostock,  and  now  at  Dalny,  the  Russian 
city  of  the  future  in  the  Far  East,  she  has  attained  her 
end.  Those  who  imagine  that  she  intends  to  retire  from 
Manchuria  must  be  wholly  ignorant  of  the  policy  which 
has  held  her  steadily  to  the  stupendous  task  of  creating 
the  railway. 

The  second  reason  why  Russia  lusts  for  the  domina- 
tion of  Asia  lies  in  her  desire  to  find  outlets  for  her  im- 
mense trade.  Asia  is  filled  with  millions  of  earth’s  popu- 
lation. At  least  seven  hundred  million  people  are  within 


The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 


499 


the  territories  which  Russia  has  determined  to  control 
with  a more  or  less  direct  hand.  These  people  are  buyers 
of  the  things  which  Russia  can  grow  and  manufacture. 
At  present  England  and  Germany  have  the  larger  share 
of  this  immense  market.  Neither  England  nor  Germany 
has  a tithe  of  the  natural  resources  which  Russia  pos- 
sesses. In  her  continuous  continental  territory  of  more 
than  eight  million  square  miles  she  has  mines  of  all  kinds 
of  ores,  with  enough  of  each  to  supply  a world.  In  her 
millions  of  „cres  of  forest  she  has  lumber  to  build  for 
the  nations.  In  her  far-reaching  acres  of  rich  soil  she 
has  resources  only  equaled  by  the  United  States,  and 
nearly  all  undeveloped.  For  all  these  she  craves  markets. 
With  the  sea  for  a highway,  and  the  Far  East  for  her 
customers,  she  can  carry  and  sell,  and  buy  and  carry 
home  those  rich  spoils  of  field  and  mine  out  of  which 
national  wealth  and  greatness  is  to  be  had.  All  the  prizes 
for  which  Rome  played  her  game  of  power  are  petty 
compared  with  the  colossal  schemes  which  the  diplomats 
of  the  White  Father  have  matured.  He  plans  to  control 
one  continent  that  he  may  ultimately  control  another 
nearer  home. 

The  third  reason  why  Russia  has  settled  it  that  all 
Asia  must  come  under  her  sway  is.  that  by  this  means 
it  will  be  possible  for  her  to  fall  heir  to  the  riches  of 
China.  China  will  ultimately  fall  and  be  seized  by  some 
other  Power  or  Powers.  Russia  proposes  to  be  that 
Power.  For  this,  in  part,  the  railway  and  the  construc- 
tion of  coterminous  land  frontiers  of  thousands  of  miles. 
For  this,  in  part,  the  seizure  of  Manchuria,  and  the  pres- 
ent readiness  to  fight  Japan,  if  necessary,  to  hold  both 
Manchuria  and  get  a better  grip  on  Korea.  As  the  vul- 
ture wheels  in  the  upper  air  above  the  doomed  and  stag- 
gering horse  about  to  die  in  the  open,  so  Russia  stands 


500  The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 

by  the  bedside  of  a decadent  China,  waiting  but  ready  to 
strike  when  the  gasping  patient  gives  final  indications  of 
national  dissolution.  Russian  money  supported  the  Boxer 
movement.  Li  Hung  Chang  was  in  the  pay  of  Russia 
to  his  last  breath.  More  than  one  high  official  of  China 
to-day  is  being  enriched  from  the  coffers  of  the  Bear, 
and  in  return  gives  information  and  helps  on  treaties  and 
concessions  and  franchises  otherwise  unobtainable.  An 
elaborate  system  of  espionage  leaves  no  move  in  the  great 
game  unknown  to  the  astute  diplomats  of  the  Czar.  It 
is  a waiting  game,  but  it  is  a mighty  game.  When  the 
old  Chinese  junk  goes  to  pieces  on  rocks  that  lie  not  far 
ahead,  there  will  be  one  wrecking  crew  ready  with  all  the 
tackle  to  secure  both  cargo  and  passengers.  A nation 
of  four  hundred  million  people,  with  all  the  unthinkable 
wealth  of  forest  and  field  and  mine,  is  to  be  gained  in 
some  such  way  as  England  has  gained  India.  Advan- 
tages of  trade,  national  prestige,  uncounted  wealth, — 
these,  and  the  control  of  other  nations  and  peoples  to 
whom  China  is  the  key,  are  the  immense  stakes  for  which 
Russia  plays  her  game. 

Can  she  accomplish  these  vast  purposes?  Has  she 
the  financial  soundness,  the  military  strength,  and  the 
national  resources  with  which  designs  so  titanic  may  be 
realized?  On  this  point  there  is  widespread  misappre- 
hension, which  it  has  been  a part  of  Russian  policy  to 
create  and  maintain.  The  impression  prevails  that  Russia 
is  a reckless  spendthrift,  and  has  borrowed  in  all  direc- 
tions and  with  desperate  eagerness.  It  is  commonly  be- 
lieved that  Russia  is  on  the  verge  of  bankruptcy,  with 
imperiled  credit  and  exhausted  resources.  Nothing  could 
be  farther  from  the  truth.  The  national  debt  of  Russia 
is  less  than  that  of  France  or  England.  It  stands  now  at 
$3,331,000,000.  The  annual  interest  is  $132,500,000.  Yet 


The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 


501 


this  interest  is  being  met,  and  the  main  debt  has  been  re- 
duced $150,000,000  within  ten  years.  Since  1887  Russia 
has  borrowed  $447,000,000,  but  not  one  dollar  of  this 
sum  except  for  one  of  two  purposes,  either  to  convert 
loans  from  a higher  to  a lower  rate  of  interest,  which  is 
good  financial  policy  always,  or  to  construct  productive 
improvements  such  as  irrigation  works,  the  Central  Asia 
Railway,  and  such  other  lines  as  are  either  immediately 
profitable  or  will  he  so  in  the  near  future.  Russia  receives 
enormous  revenues  from  sources  which  are  unproductive 
in  other  nations.  She  has  200,000,000  acres  of  real  forest 
lands  as  vet  untouched ! She  has  38,250  kilometers  of 
State  railways  worked  at  a profit.  Her  net  revenues  from 
all  these  sources  amount  to  640,000.000  of  francs  out  of 
the  650,000,000  of  interest  on  her  public  debt.  The  bal- 
ance to  the  good  on  her  budget  for  1898-99,  after  allowing 
for  a bad  harvest  and  for  $47,000,000  extra  naval  ex- 
penditure. was  $26,000,000.  The  Trans-Siberian  Railway 
is  already  yielding  profits  far  in  advance  of  the  most  san- 
guine estimates  of  M.  De  Witte,  the  finance  minister  of 
Russia.  It  is  impossible  for  sufficient  cars  to  be  provided 
to  move  the  wheat  which  lies  rotting  in  the  open  at  Cen- 
tral Asia  stations.  Russia  is  rich.  Russia  is  rich  beyond 
the  estimation  of  mere  arithmetic.  She  is  just  beginning 
to  acquire  wealth,  and  is  destined  to  have  one  rival  for 
national  wealth,  and  that  is  our  own  nation. 

Her  vast  populations  of  the  most  stalwart  and  rugged 
people  possessed  by  any  country  furnish  her  soldiers  by 
the  hundred  thousand.  Russia  is  an  autocracv.  The 
Czar  can  say  to  this  one,  “Go,’’  and  he  goeth,  whether  to 
war  or  to  the  settlement  of  the  fertile  prairies  of  Siberia. 
I am  deeply  indebted  to  Mr.  Henry  Norman  for  data  re- 
garding Russia.  His  “All  the  Russias”  should  be  in  the 
hands  of  every  man  who  has  his  eyes  on  the  future.  In 


502  The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 

this  book  Mr.  Norman  relates  a conversation  with  a 
Russian  officer,  in  which  the  latter  said  that  the  weakness 
of  other  European  nations  from  a military  standpoint  lies 
in  their  inability  to  get  soldiers.  With  a wave  of  the  hand 
toward  a drill-ground,  where  a large  body  of  troops  was 
being  put  through  its  evolutions,  this  officer  said,  “Russia 
can  spare  one  hundred  thousand  such  men  any  day,  and 
not  know  it.”  This  is  brutal,  but  it  is  true.  In  this  fact 
lies  one  of  the  immense  resources  of  Russia  when  her 
military  possibilities  are  under  consideration.  What 
forces  are  arrayed  against  Russia?  What  are  the  prob- 
abilities that  these  imperial  plans  will  be  defeated  by  any 
nation  or  by  any  coalition  of  nations? 

Japan  is  the  nation  which  just  now  ventures  to  oppose 
this  huge  giant  of  the  North  as  he  shoulders  his  way  to 
the  Eastern  Sea,  and  proposes  to  enrich  himself  with  the 
spoil  of  her  millions.  Japan  has  made  wonderful  strides 
toward  greatness  in  recent  years.  Her  development  is  the 
modern  national  miracle.  But  look  at  her  territory.  Look 
at  her  people,  not  one  in  five  hundred  of  whom  has  been 
touched  by  the  civilization  which  she  boasts  she  has 
adopted.  No  nation  is  enduringly  great  whose  people  are 
at  once  few  in  number  and  low  in  the  scale  of  intelligence. 
It  is  a hard  thing  to  say,  but  the  people  of  Japan — the  men 
who  till  the  petty  fields,  dig  in  the  mines,  and  live  in  the 
doll-houses  of  her  toy  land — are,  on  the  average,  very 
much  what  they  were  when  Commodore  Perry  blew  off 
the  doors  of  the  Empire  and  let  in  the  outer  world.  Edu- 
cation has  reached  the  classes.  The  masses  are  unleav- 
ened. The  people  are  but  few.  Only  forty  millions  as 
against  the  untold  millions  of  Russia  with  all  her  Euro- 
pean and  Asiatic  dependencies.  Her  resources  are  small 
in  comparison  with  those  of  the  Titan  against  whom  she 
is  so  eager  to  throw  herself.  She  has  a navy  that  is  re- 


The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East.  503 

puted  to  be  powerful.  Allow  that  it  is  so,  and  that  the 
men  behind  the  guns  are  as  good  in  their  places  as  the 
guns  are  for  the  grim  work  for  which  they  were  cast,  and 
allow  that  in  a sea-fight  she  could  blow  the  Russian  fleet 
out  of  the  water, — what  then  ? The  bulk  of  Russia’s 
fighting  force  is  on  the  mainland  of  Manchuria.  There 
is  but  one  way  to  reach  them,  and  that  is  to  capture  the 
only  road.  That  road  is  the  Trans-Siberian  Railroad. 
With  hundreds  of  thousands  of  men  at  her  call  and  within 
a few  days’  ride  from  the  edge  of  the  continent,  and  with 
every  point  of  advantage  in  her  hands,  how  is  it  thinkable 
that  Japan  can  land  armies  and  force  Russia  to  give  up 
her  land  position?  Russia  can  afford  to  let  Japan  whip 
her  on  the  sea,  and  never  swerve  for  one  moment  from 
her  course.  Japan  fighting  Russia  is  the  game  little  ter- 
rier flinging  himself  daringly  into  the  red  jaws  of  the 
Bear.  He  will  inflict  some  wounds,  but  will  neither  kill 
his  enemy  nor  turn  him  from  his  inexorable  purpose. 

“But  England  will  join  Japan,”  says  some  one.  Per- 
haps ; that  is  not  certain.  England  will  join  Japan  for 
certain  ends.  But  England  is  now  exhausted  with  a 
wasteful  war,  and  in  no  mood  to  help  another  nation  pull 
its  chestnuts  from  the  coals.  Only  when  English  inter- 
ests are  touched  to  the  blood  will  she  unlimber  a gun  for 
Japan’s  defense  against  Russian  encroachments.  And 
suppose  she  does  help  Japan, — what  then?  I maintain 
that  the  position  of  Russia  backed  away  up  into  the  heart 
of  a continent,  and  fed  by  a good  railway  from  her  own 
base  of  supplies  in  Europe,  is  impregnable.  There  is  no 
way  that  either  England  or  Japan,  or  both  together,  can 
strike  Russia  at  any  vulnerable  point  in  the  Far  East. 

France,  too,  will  come  into  the  play  as  soon  as  real  war 
reddens  the  horizon.  France  will  help  Russia.  Other 
Powers  will  be  dragged  into  the  fray.  Germany  has 


504  The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 


great  designs  in  Asia,  and  will  yield  them  only  after  a 
supreme  effort.  Her  present  emperor  has  never  lacked 
courage  to  do  whatever  seemed  for  the  interests  of  Ger- 
many, whatever  the  political  hazard.  Only  by  following 
Napoleon’s  method  can  Russia  be  struck  where  she  will 
feel  the  blow.  Invasion  of  Russian  territory  by  a com- 
bined force  might  succeed  where  the  audacious  French 
leader  failed  so  conspicuously.  But  this  we  scarcely  ex- 
pect Japan  to  attempt  or  England  to  support  if  so  foolish 
a campaign  were  begun. 

What  if  Russia  wins?  What  if  all  Continental  and 
Insular  Asia  come  under  the  rule  of  this  White  Giant  of 
the  North?  This:  the  indefinite  postponement  of  all  the 
unfinished  business  of  missionary  and  philanthropist,  as 
well  as  that  of  enlightened  statesmen  zvho  have  labored 
for  the  welfare  of  the  Far  East.  Russia  has  a State 
Church.  It  is  a cold  and  empty  formalism,  with  a dreary 
round  of  stately  services.  Her  religion  is  barren  of 
mercy,  compassion,  and  that  love  which  is  the  heart  of  the 
Gospel.  Russia  has  no  room  for  programs  of  national 
welfare  except  as  welfare  is  spelled  in  terms  of  material 
prosperity.  Russia  will  stimulate  the  trade  of  so  much 
of  Asia  as  she  may  dominate ; but  her  intolerance  and  her 
bigotry  will  freeze  the  very  fountains  of  Christian  civil- 
ization which  have  been  unsealed  in  China  and  Japan 
and  Korea,  as  well  as  in  other  portions  of  the  Far  East, 
by  the  labors  of  the  Christian  missionary  in  the  last  hun- 
dred years.-  No  calamity  now  impending  in  any  quarter 
of  the  world  can  be  compared  in  its  baleful  significance 
for  the'  Kingdom  of  Righteousness  with  the  Russian 
menace.  It  affects  more  souls  for  whom  Christ  died,  and 
affects  them  more  immediately  and  profoundly,  than  any 
oth'er  national  situation  which  can  be  discerned  on  any 
wotld-horizon.  Let'  this  mighty  national  glacier  push 


The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 


505 


its  frozen  bulk  over  these  dense  populations,  and  it  will 
be  winter  indeed,  with  frosts  that  kill  those  growths  from 
the  fruitage  of  which  these  numberless  millions  would 
eat  and  live. 

Here  it  is  that  we  can  see  the  relation,  or  at  least  the 
beginnings  of  the  relation,  of  the  American  occupation  of 


the  Philippines  to  the  Eastern  Question.  Just  when 
Russia  wrested  Manchuria  from  China  and  Japan,  and 
defiantly  occupied  Port  Arthur,  and  was  congratulating 
herself  that  the  progress  of  a century  toward  the  realiza- 
tion of  her  plans  had  been  made  in  a few  months,  a new 
force  appeared  in  the  East.  As  a mere  incident  in  a war 
arising  primarily  from  causes  the  diameter  of  the  earth 
away  from  these  seas,  the  Philippines  passed  under  the 
sovereignty  of  the  United  States  of  America,  the  only 


5°6  The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 

nation  which  may  hope  to  measure  strength  with  Russia 
in  the  long  future  that  lies  before  nations.  Almost  im- 
mediately came  the  alteration  of  Russia’s  tone  toward 
Japan.  Almost  immediately  aggression  on  her  part 
ceased.  Within  a few  months  England,  emboldened  by 
the  near  presence  of  her  kinsman,  entered  into  alliance 
with  the  doughty  little  Island  Kingdom  to  resist  farther 
Russian  advance,  and  to  insist  upon  the  fulfillment  of 
such  pledges  as  had  been  made.  After  the  policy  of  op- 
portunism followed  by  Lord  Salisbury  for  so  many  years, 
this  was  one  bold  stroke  for  which  many  thanked  God 
and  took  courage.  One  more  hurdle  would  have  to  be 
cleared  before  Russia  reached  her  goal. 

Our  forces  had  been  in  the  Philippines  but  a few 
months  when  the  Boxer  movement  flamed  up  in  China. 
Our  minister  was  shut  into  Peking  a prisoner.  Hundreds 
of  our  citizens,  missionaries  and  others,  were  in  imminent 
peril  with  him.  The  German  ambassador  was  murdered 
in  daylight,  and  the  extermination  of  the  foreigner  deter- 
mined upon.  Orders  from  Washington  put  General 
Chaffee  and  a force  of  men  into  China  as  fast  as  steam 
could  speed  them.  Rains  had  made  roads  almost  impass- 
able. The  only  railway  from  Tientsin  was  in  the  hands 
of  the  enemy.  Supplies  were  scanty.  Transportation 
was  almost  wholly  lacking;  but  while  the  English  force 
waited  for  one  condition  to  be  altered,  and  the  German 
and  Japanese  troops  for  another  condition  to  improve, 
General  Chaffee  said : “I  have  my  orders  from  Washing- 
ton. I march  on  Peking  at  once !”  The  march,  the 
rescue,  and  all  that  splendid  story  are  known  to  an  ad- 
miring world.  But  the  incident  reads  large  in  its  ultimate 
significance.  Imperiled  American  interests  have  com- 
pelled our  nation  to  invade  China  with  one  armed  force, 
and  shotted  our  cannon  against  the  inner  sanctuaries  of 


The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East.  507 

her  holy  city.  What  lias  been  done  once  ivill  be  done 
again  when  similar  conditions  make  similar  demands. 
And  Russia  knows  it.  Captain  Mahan  has  studied  these 
matters  as  profoundly  as  Lord  Curzon,  or  M.  Leroy 
Boileau,  or  Mr.  Henry  Norman,  M.  P.,  and  Captain 
Mahan  utters  words  of  truth  and  soberness  when  he  says: 

“Americans  must  accept  and  familiarize  their  minds 
with  the  fact,  that,  with  their  irrevocable  entry  into  the 
world’s  polity,  first,  bv  the  assertion  of  the  Monroe  Doc- 
trine, and  since  by  their  insular  acquisitions — above  all. 
the  Philippines — and  by  the  interests  at  stake  in  China, 
they  can  not  divest  themselves  of  concern,  practical  as  well 
as  speculative,  in  such  a question  as  the  balance  of  power 
in  the  Levant,  or  at  the  entrance  of  the  Persian  Gulf. 

“As  contrasted  with  the  political  unity  of  Russia  and 
her  geographical  continuity,  the  influences  that  can  pos- 
sibly be  opposed  to  her  are  diverse  and  scattered.  They 
find,  however,  a certain  unifying  motive  in  a common  in- 
terest of  unfettered  commerce  and  of  transit  in  the  regions 
in  question.  It  is  upon  the  realization  of  this  interest,  and 
upon  the  accurate  appreciation  of  their  power  to  protect 
it,  and  not  upon  artificial  combinations,  that  correct  policy 
or  successful  concert  in  the  future  must  rest.’’* 

Russia  is  no  friend  of  the  United  States.  When  it  has 
cost  her  nothing  she  has  smiled  on  us,  on  the  principle 
that  it  is  as  well  to  have  as  few  enemies  as  possible  when 
large  interests  are  at  stake.  But  let  any  Russian  interest 
antagonize  this  alleged  friendship,  and  the  heat  evoked 
by  the  contact  will  burn  this  so-called  friendship  like  tow 
in  a furnace. 

There  is  no  force  making  for  the  stay  of  Russian 
progress  in  the  Far  East  which  is  comparable  with  that 
of  American  influence.  There  is  no  single  reason  which 
so  powerfully  operates  to  continue  a condition  of  actual 


* The  Problem  of  Asia,  pp.  68  and  57. 


508  The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 

peace  in  the  midst  of  inflamed  conditions  as  the  fact  that 
Russia  is  aware  that  there  is  a new  force  in  the  Orient, 
and  knows  that  it  will  not  be  wise  to  take  any  steps  which 
will  draw  the  United  States  into  China,  whose  territory 
she  is  determined  to  possess.  She  relies  upon  diplomatic 
victories  rather  than  the  triumph  of  her  fleets  and  armies 
to  get  her  men  into  the  king  row  in  North  China.  If  it 
had  not  been  for  this  new  force  in  the  Far  East,  the  duel 
between  Japan  and  Russia  would  have  been  over  a year 
ago.  Uncertainty  as  to  just  what  this  mighty  nation 
with  the  terrible  navy  will  do  makes  certain  the  delay  of 
hostilities.  It  can  not  but  be  that  an  Almighty  Ruler  of 
events  placed  this  nation  here  fronting  the  greatest  peril 
to  his  little  ones  in  order  that  He  might  use  us,  as  He 
has  always  used  nations,  to  advance  the  long  parallels 
of  His  purposes  against  foes  which  would  injure  His 
kingdom.  It  is,  of  course,  impossible  for  uninspired  man 
to  see  the  future ; but  unless  God  means  to  use  America 
mightily  in  the  resolution  of  the  Eastern  Question,  all 
those  signs  fail  from  which  men  destitute  of  inspiration 
must  spell  out  the  significance  of  events  as  they  unroll 
and  impend  before  their  eyes.  How  this  use  will  be  made 
of  us  is  still  in  the  womb  of  the  future.  It  may  be  bv  the 
same  means  which  He  used  in  unhinging  the  barred  gates 
of  these  Islands — cannon  and  shell  and  all  the  horrid 
din  of  war.  It  may  be  that  it  will  be  by  silently  wafting 
the  bloom  of  our  civilization  over  the  vast  populations  of 
the  Orient,  pollenizing  them  with  ideals  destined  to  bear 
fruit  where  despotism  and  ignorance  and  vice  yield  their 
apples  of  Sodom.  He  has  made  America  for  a mighty 
destiny.  He  has  set  her  in  these  seas  not  for  her  own 
aggrandizement,  but  that  she  may  work  out  His  sovereign 
will  of  righteousness  among  these  nations.  Our  rule 
must  be  righteous.  Our  missionary  labors  must  be  ener- 


The  Philippines  and  the  Far  East. 


509 


gized  of  the  Spirit  of  the  living  God.  Every  man  who 
would  enter  into  the  plans  of  the  Father  of  us  all  must 
do  whatever  work  is  given  to  him  to  do  as  though  the 
whole  burden  of  our  duty  rested  upon  his  own  shoulders. 
When  we  who  now  toil  among  these  belated  populations 
have  been  gathered  to  our  fathers,  the  American  occu- 
pation of  the  Philippines  will  have  become  history,  and 
if  it  is  history  creditable  to  Washington  and  Jefferson 
and  Lincoln  and  McKinley,  it  will  be  because  the  Presi- 
dent, Congress,  Philippine  officials,  and  missionaries  sub- 
mit themselves  to  Him  who  worketh  all  things  according 
to  the  counsel  of  His  own  will. 


INDEX. 

* 


PAGE 


Acts  of  the  Civil  Commis- 
sion,   170 

Acts,  List  of, 1S4 

Aglipay,  Archbishop  Grego- 
rio,   488 

His  Schism 490 

Success  of  his  movement,  493 
Recommends  reading  the 

Bible 493 

Independent  Catholic 

Church 496 

Agriculture 23S 

Aguinaldo 141 

Alienation  of  the  Filipinos 

from  the  Church 387 

American  Influence  in  the 

East 507 

American  Occupation,  . . . 135 
Area  of  Philippine  Islands,  . 15 

Arsenic, 28 

Bible  Societies, 595 

Distribution, 396 

Translations, 397 

Colporteurs, 403 

Blanco,  General,  the  Gover- 
nor  126 

Brigandage 18 1 

Cacao, 255 

Capture  of  Manila  by  Amer- 
icans  145 


Caste 

Catechisms  used, 

Centralization  of  influence,  . 
Cession  of  Philippine  Isl- 
ands,   

Characteristics  of  the  Fili- 
pinos, 


PAGE 

Character  of  the  Archipel- 
ago  16 

China  and  the  Boxer  move- 
ment,   506 

Chinese  in  the  Philippines, . 265 

Number, 272 

Laborer,  merchant,  or  spec- 
ulator, ...  272 

Community  interests,  . . 276 
Question  of  exclusion,  . . 280 

Christianity  taught 86 

Christianized  Filipinos,  . . 39 

Church  and  State  separation,  355 

Church  schools, 198 

Civil  Commission  Report,  . 92 

Civilizing  Influences,  ...  88 

Climate, 20 

Coal 262 

Coffee-growing 240,  254 

Condition  of  Affairs  at  Ma- 
nila,   138 

Congregational  Church,  . . 474 
Conquest  of  the  Philippine 
Islands,  ........  62 

Copra  (dried  cocoanut),  . . 253 

Constabulary  Act 180 

Conversion  of  the  natives  to 

Catholicism, 380 

Course  of  Instruction  in 

Church  schools 201 

Currency  Act, 337 

Day  laborers,  Filipino,  . . 231 
Death-rate  in  Manila,  . . . 237 
Department  of  Public  In- 
struction,   189 

Dependientes, 43 

Despotism  of  the  Friars,  . 114 
Dewey  at  Manila  Bay,  ...  136 


42 
386 
45 

149 

46,  53 
5ii 


512 


Index. 


PAGE 

Difficulties  in  Mission  work,  476 

Saloons, 479 

Concubinage 481 

Gambling 482 

Strange  Languages  to  be 

learned, 482 

Disciple  Church 473 

Division  of  Mission  work,  . 436 
Dutch  traders, 72 

Early  religion  of  the  Phil- 
ippine Malays, 379 

Earthquakes, 17 

Eastern  Question,  The,  . . 497 
Ecclesiastical  domination  il- 
lustrated,   370 

Educating  a Nation,  ....  185 
Education  and  Scholarship,  54 
English  Language  in  the 
East, 210 

Farm  Crops, 246 

Filipino  Catholic’s  concep- 
tion of  God 384 

Filipinos;  who  are  they?  . 31 

Finance,  Phillippine,  . . . 322 

Food  and  Shelter 50 

Forest  products, 258 

Framing  a policy 155 

Freemasonry 121 

Friar  Lands, 284 

Correspondence  between 
Pope  Leo  XIII  and  Gov- 
ernor Taft, 293,  303 

Secretary  Root’s  Instruc- 
tions, . 298 

Purchase  of,  by  U.  S.  Gov- 
ernment,   317 

The  owners  of  the  titles,  . 320 
Disposition  of  the  lands,  . 321 
Friars;  their  missionary 

zeal, 67,  79,  85 

Fritz,  W.  G., 434 

Funeral  fees, 107 

Future  Improvements,  . . . 216 

Gambling, 52 

Goodell,  Willard  A.,  . . . . 435 


PAGE 


Government  and  Religious 

Conditions 341 

Gypsum, 29 

Halford,  Major  E.  \V.,  356,  441 
Harbor  Improvements,  . . 223 

Hard  woods, 258 

Hatred  of  the  Friars,  ...  91 

Causes  of, 94 

Healthfulness  of  Islands,  . 22 

Hemp, 246 

Historical  Summary,  ...  60 

Hostility  of  government  to 
religion 351 

Idolatry  of  the  Malays,  . 380 

Igorrotes, 33 

Ilocanos, 41 

Images  used  in  Catholic  wor- 
ship  ......  383 

Immorality  of  the  Friars,  . 109 
Imports  and  Exports,  Value 

of, 329 

Summary  of,  by  Coun- 
tries,   333.334 

Independence  and  Self-Gov- 
ernment,   168 

Independent  Catholic  Church 
movement,  ....  342, 392 

India-rubber, 262 

Insurgents 146 

Insurrections, 74 

Insurrection  of  1896,  . . 119 

Japan;  its  progress,  ....  502 
Judicial  system, 182 

LEE-Ma-Hong,  Chinese  pi- 
rate, repulsed 67 

Legaspi,  Don  Miguel  Lopez, 

Captain-General 62 

Lepers, 240 

Malay  Invaders, 42 

Malay  Peninsula 19 

Manila  Fleet  Destroyed  by 

Dewey 137 

Marble 29 

Marriage  fees, 106 


Index. 


5i3 


Martin,  Thos.  H 434 

McKinley,  President,  Views 

of. M3.  159 

McLaughlin,  Jesse  L.,  . . 434 

Medical  work,  Presbyterian 

mission, 459 

Metals,  gold,  iron,  copper,  • 262 

Methodist  Episcopal  Church: 

Beginnings 420 

Woman’s  Foreign  Mission- 
ary Society,  Teachers,  . 429 
Methodist  Missionaries  ap- 
pointed  434 

Methodist  missionaries 

sent,  . . . 434,  449.  45°,  45 1 

Statistics 454 

Minerals, 27 

Missionary  Beginnings,  . . 409 
First  Protestant  service,  . 415 

Molave-wood, 259 

Monsoon  or  wet  season,  . . 23 

Montojo,  Admiral 137 

Moros,  and  their  customs,  . 36 

Municipal  Code, 171 

Music 56 

National  spirit  in  the  Phil- 
ippines,   162 

Native  Teachers, 213 

Negrito  Population,  ....  32 

Normal  and  Industrial 

Schools 219 

Number  of  Teachers  and 
schools 206 

Official  corruption,  Span- 
ish,   217 

Opposition  of  the  Church  to 
schools, 197 

PaTERno,  Setior  Pedro  A.,  . 133 

Petroleum 29 

Philippine  Archipelago,  . . 15 

Philippine  Christici7i  Advo- 
cate begun 441 

Polavieja,  General 13 1 

Prautch,  Arthur  W.,  . . 416,  420 
Presbyterian  mission,  . . . 436 

33 


PAGE 


Presbyterians  and  Baptists,  . 456 

Principales 43 

Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  464 
Bishop  C.  H.  Brent,  . . . 465 


High-Church  principles,  . 468 
Refusal  to  co-operate  with 

other  Churches, 472 

Protestantism  in  the  Philip- 


Pilles> 359 

Protestant  missionaries,  . . 358 
Provincial  Act 176 

Racial  and  Linguistic  sub- 
divisions  39 

Railroads  projected 233 

Regulative  Principles,  . . . 160 
Religious  Instruction  in 

Schools 190,  205 

Religious  Liberty, 349 

Religious  neutrality, ....  343 

Religious  practices 

Religious  situation 378 

Resources  of  the  Philippines,  244 

Rial,  Dr.  Jose 99 

Rice, 250 

Rivera,  General  Primo,  . . 132 

Roads 230 

Running  amuck, 37 

Russia’s  lust  for  dominion,  . 498 
Influence  in  Asia,  ....  499 

Scenery, 29 

Scholars  in  the  Public 

Schools, 209 

Schools  among  the  Filipinos,  186 
Seasons,  Character  of,  . . . 243 
Sewerage  S}rstem  and  Sani- 
tation  234 

Social  order  : pueblo,  baran- 

gay,  etc 42 

Struggles  for  possession  of 

the  islands, 72 

Stuntz,  Homer  C.,  appointed 

missionary, 435 

Sugar 253 

Sulphur 28 

Superintendent  of  Public  In- 
struction,   189 

Superstitions, 389 


PAGE 


Taal  Volcano, 

T agalog  Language,  Notes  on, 

Tagalogs, 

Tao,  or  common  man,  . . . 
Taxes  under  the  Spanish  re- 
gime  

Teachers  sent  to  Manila,  . . 

Temperature, 

Theatrical  Amusements,  . • 

Tinguianes, 

Tobacco 

Transportation,  Means  of,  . 
Treasury  Statement, . . . . 

Treaty  with  Spain 

Typhoon, . . : 


PAGE 

United  Brethren,  . . 436,  473 

Urdaneta,  Andreo,  Augustin- 

ian  friar, 62 

Instructions  given  to  him,  82 

VlSCAYANS, 41 

Why  the  F riars  are  Hated,  94-1 18 

Young  Men’s  Christian  As- 
sociation, Arm}’  and  Navy 
branch, 474 

Zamora,  Nicholas 418 

Zamora,  Paulino,  . . . 102, 417 


16 

482 

40 

45 

50 

193 

242 

57 

35 

251 

226 

322 

149 

24 


Date  Due 

PRINTED 

IN  U.  S.  A. 

